FutureEverything

A message to our supporters. #FutureEverything #DigitalCulture #DigitalArts #Manchester

FutureEverything appoints Nature to the Board! As the climate and biodiversity crisis escalates it’s increasingly clear that we need to urgently reframe our relationship with Nature. The scale of the problem requires radical solutions; changing governance structures - across businesses, culture and communities - is a good place to start. With almost 30 years experience as a creative think tank at the cutting edge of art and technology, it’s FutureEverything’s business to invent the future; now, we want Nature to reinvent us. So, we are putting Nature on our Board to transform the way we think, work, and grow so that, over time, everything we do reduces ecological degradation and strives towards restoration. FutureEverything is the first cultural institution in the UK to put Nature on the Board, joining a small handful of organisations globally who have made this move. We have been inspired to go on this ground-breaking journey by the growing Rights of Nature movement spearheaded by courageous Indigenous groups, lawyers and activists especially in countries such as Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and New Zealand. We will do our ‘research in the open’ and develop open source resources to support other businesses and not-for-profit organisations to share in our journey and be inspired to let Nature lead the way. We are excited to be embarking on this adventure, and hope you will join us for it. In particular, we want to develop collaborative relationships with partners - from legal, academia, to funders, cultural and environmental sectors - as part of researching and designing our approach and sharing learning. If you'd like to learn more about Nature on The Board, then click the link in bio or get in touch with us at [email protected] #climateaction #creativeclimateaction #nature #environment #sustainability #artsandculture

Today is the final day of FutureEverything. We close as a company – but this is not the end of the story. Founder @toodrew t will translate FutureEverything from a company into a method. He will oversee a permanent archive of its legacy – and the community is invited to help build it. The full story of thirty-one years is now live at futureeverything.org. The 2019–2026 site remains at 2019-2026.futureeverything.org. FutureEverything was made by everyone who gave it life, across thirty-one years and dozens of countries. If it touched your work or career, your memories matter. Share what you remember – projects that grew from connections made here, careers shaped by its commissions, fields opened by its work. Concrete information, links to articles, documentation of outcomes – all of it matters and will contribute to a record of what this community made possible. Take a minute and add your memory, simply follow the link in bio to participate. The company closes. The legacy lives on. Find the link in bio Or below. /memories

FutureEverything’s final years were among its most ambitious, with large-scale exhibitions, major commissions, and a trailblazing initiative to appoint Nature to its Board – reflecting both creative ambition and institutional courage. Irini Papadimitriou (@irini_mirena ) took the helm in 2018, establishing FutureEverything as a significant international voice on art and AI. Her tenure opened with Atmospheric Memory by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer – initiated by @toodrew and curated by José Luis de Vicente – hailed by The New York Times as 'the most ambitious art project' of Manchester International Festival. International recognition followed in 2021 & 2022 when Irini curated ‘You and AI’ and ‘Plásmata’ in Athens for @onassis.stegi , exploring the cultural and ecological impact of emerging technologies reaching over 400,000 visitors. During this period supporting artists talent development remained central, hosting many local and international artist development programs, including this place [of mine], PROTO, Cultural Accelerator, @befantastic.in India and [Digital] Transmissions Jordan, @BritishCouncil . From 2024, under Creative Director Lucy Sollitt (@itsownlight ), FutureEverything explored regenerative technological futures through projects like Compost Computer, prototyping low-carbon computing systems, and Webs of Life, rethinking AI as a tool for relational, justice-oriented, multispecies communication. In 2025, FutureEverything became the first cultural institution to put Nature on the Board. Nature Directed pathfinds ecosystemic change and catalyses new artistic visions, exploring the interplay between ecological crises, cultural narratives and technological acceleration. Read more about the final chapter in our story on the FutureEverything legacy site, click the link in bio. @frederikheyman ‘Virtual Embalming’ ; @lozanohemmer ‘Atmospheric Memory’, this place [of mine]; @studiodriesverhoeven ‘Happiness’; [Digital] Transmissions @jngfa @britishcounciljo ; PROTO; our Nature Directed model illustrated by Yi Zhen Leong; Compost Computer, @critical_climate_computing ; Composting Futures; @dimainstone ‘Emotional Biodiversity’, @maya_chowdhry ‘Electric Echoes’

In 2010, Futuresonic became FutureEverything – a name Drew Hemment had chosen to reflect the full range of it’s evolving work – expanding its focus on data-driven art, critical futures, and the formal sharing of methods and tools. Data art, a growing focus of the festival, became central as FutureEverything responded to the explosion of big data, advances in machine learning, and cultural movements like the quantified self. The 2010 festival featured a data visualisation performance by SoSoLimited, followed in 2011 by Data Dimension, showcasing 16 works by artists including @chrismilk , @aaronkoblin , Timo Arnall, @miebachsculpture , and Nadeem Haidary. In 2012, named one of the world’s top 10 ideas festivals by The Guardian, FutureEverything explored participatory culture and the social impact of data systems through works including Lawrence Epps’ Human Resources, Blast Theory’s I’d Hide You, and Amon Tobin’s ISAM. That year also saw emoto: Visualising the Olympics, an interactive web artwork and data sculpture commissioned for London 2012 by @moritz_stefaner , @toodrew and @studio_nand When Singapore wanted a flagship digital culture event for their 50th anniversary celebrations they sent a delegation to attend the 2014 festival in Manchester. Their research ranked us in the top three globally alongside @SXSW and TED and they chose us – the result was FutureEverything Singapore in 2015. In 2016, the organisation launched GROW, the first continental-scale Citizens’ Observatory, and CityVerve, Manchester’s £10M Internet of Things flagship. By 2018, FutureEverything had fully transitioned into a new model of arts and innovation agency, taking artistic invention into ever further frontiers, operating both within and beyond the art world. Visit the new FutureEverything legacy site to explore our story. Link in bio. Image credits: Project Ukko; FutureEverything ‘Talking Box’; The Data Dimension exhibition; I’d Hide You by Blast Theory; emoto: Visualising the Olympics; Light Barrier by @studiokimchiandchips ; Hello Lampost Singapore; FutureEverything Singapore; The Chronarium by Loop.pH; EVERY THING EVERY TIME by @naho.matsuda ; SUPERGESTURES @ling.tan.ql .

After 31 years, our organisation is coming to a close. We’re looking back on the projects, moments, and collaborations that have defined us starting with our origins. Before FutureEverything, there was Futuresonic: a festival that quickly became the UK’s leading platform for arts, technology, and digital culture. Under Drew Hemment’s direction, it cultivated a vibrant community of artists, thinkers, technologists, and musicians, creating a space to explore the possibilities and implications of emerging technologies. From the early internet and networked culture to data infrastructures, artificial intelligence, and environmental sensing, Futuresonic aimed to deepen understanding of new technologies and how exchanges between art and technology drive social change and innovation - laying the foundation for FutureEverything’s interdisciplinary approach. In 2003, our work on mobile and locative media prefigured the smartphone era. In 2009, we launched one of Europe’s first open data initiatives. Projects like ‘Broken Channel’ and ‘Loca: Set to Discoverable’ explored the emerging realities of data-driven surveillance, examining how digital infrastructures shape movement, privacy, and public space. Throughout its run, the festival pushed creative and technical boundaries, committed to expanding understanding of emerging technologies through experimental art practices. As we look back across three decades, we’d love to hear your memories. What moments, projects or encounters stand out to you? Click the link in bio to share your FutureEverything highlights. For more on the FutureEverything story and full image credits, visit our legacy site via the link in bio. Credits: Private View; Maryanne Amacher; TaystesROOM by @jmarketou_studio ; Uncle Roy All Around You by @blasttheory ; TAKE2030 by Ilze Black, Alexie Blinov, @shulea2 , Chia-liang Kao, Paul Khera, Gio D’angelo, Supermodem; @battlestheband ; Loca: Set To Discoverable by @toodrew , John Evans, Mika Raento, Theo Humphries; The Environment 2.0; Urban Prospecting by John Cohrs; @antivj + Murcof

FutureEverything, in collaboration with the @critical_climate_computing team at the @unioftheartslondon , is pleased to launch the final output of the Compost Computer project: a functioning microsite powered by compost! working with artists @msmrgni and @shinjitoya , Compost Computer is a ground-breaking prototype that transforms bio-energy from compost into electricity. Literally regrounding technology in people and land. Located at @mud_cic in Manchester’s Platt Fields Market Garden, the server powering the microsite runs on the composting practices of its community gardeners, demonstrating how local, eco-social internet systems can reduce emissions and material use while building resilient infrastructure. The microsite features two open-source toolkits created by CCC co-founders @wesleygoatley and @posthuman_eva , offering code, methodologies and practical guidance for anyone wishing to replicate or build upon the bioserver and low-carbon website models and approaches. We hope that this will be a source of inspiration and action for the future. Click the link in bio to access the website and toolkits.

We're fans of British-Iraqui artist, Sarah Al-Sarraj's (@ssaarraahj ) work here at FutureEverything and were delighted to host a screening with Sarah of her piece Isthmus Ancient River, for our Digital Transmission III artists on Monday evening. We were joined for this conversation by Digital Transmissions mentor, Helen Starr (@themechatroniclibrary ) , commissioner of Isthmus Ancient River a work that embodies a deep creative exchange between Helen and Sarah.  The exploration of Decolonialised Nature and Indigenous Futurisms in Isthmus Ancient River resonates strongly with prefigurative politics that the Rehearsing Emancipation theme of DTIII entails. Sarah and Helen’s approach to worldbuilding embodies the ideas both conceptually, and also creatively, through how they use the immersive qualities of games engine technologies in ways that echo ancient sacred technologies, and relational place-based knowledge. There are deep connections here with the ideas and approach of FutureEverything's creative vision building on the Synthetic Sacred and Nature Directed.  Like many of our DTIII artists, who are honing or learning new technical and conceptual skills, Sarah has been on a journey expanding her painting practice by creating immersive digital worlds. And brings an acute sensibility and experience of what it is to live in and survive devastating conflict.  Thank you to Khaldoun Hijazin (@khaldounhijazin ) for leading this conversation which was intended to give some creative sustenance and inspiration in the midst of the current conflict and cross-fire that our friends in Jordan and countries across the middle east are caught in. We wish everyone peace, strength and freedom. Images of Isthmus Ancient River by Sarah Al-Sarraj @britishcouncil @britishcounciljo

What can care and repair look like? Electric Echoes is our second commission as part of Stockport Creative Campus, by interdisciplinary artist, Maya Chowdhry, exploring the hidden human and more-than-human sources of power linked to Stockport's former Power Station site. The installation of Electric Echoes is now open at Stockport Air Raid Shelters until Sunday 22nd March. Get your free tickets via link in bio! Stockport Creative Campus is an initiative to make Stockport a centre for creativity and digital innovation in the North. You can find our more about FutureEverything's role in Stockport Creative Campus via our website. @maya_chowdhry @carocsound @billyischilly @lindadevoarts @greatermcr @stockportcouncil @stockr__m @acegram #UKSPF

In her latest blog piece, 'Decolonial Cleaning: Other Ways to Care', artist Maya Chowdhry reflects on practices of listening, attunment and collective care, exploring how these approaches might help repair environments shaped by industrial histories. "There is something about how sound envelops us, how if we foster an awareness to the sounds around us, tune in, and listen deeply we can discover what’s going on in our environment." These ideas underpin Electric Echoes, an interactive installation and SoundWalk inviting audiences to attune to the River Goyt and its industrial and ecological histories. The installation is on display, and free to visit, at Stockport Air Raid Shelter until March 22nd. More information can be found in the link in bio.

The Electric Echoes SoundWalk features a series of original site-specific tracks composed by @maya_chowdhry in collaboration with Stockport communities, @Culturebridge and the Hong Kong Fellowship, inviting listeners on a journey of attunement to the River Goyt. Pictured here are the six listening points guiding you along the river, through the town’s post-industrial edges and past the site of the former Stockport Power Station. The SoundWalk concludes at Stockport Air Raid Shelters, where you can experience Maya’s sound sculpture, on display until 22 March. Access the SoundWalk by downloading the Echoes app. Instructions are available in the specially designed pamphlet created by Yi Zhen Leong available at the Air Raid Shelters and as a PDF download on our website, just follow the link in bio. #soundwalk #audio #soundexperience #soundinstallation #soundscapes

Last Wednesday, the [Digital] Transmissions III participants met remotely with François Schwamborn and Tom Groll, the program mentors from Germany, for their second round of mentorship. Building on the foundations established in the previous sessions, this stage focused on refining and integrating the immersive sequences as the projects move further into production. The session addressed spatial coherence, technical execution, and transitions between scenes within each team’s evolving immersive environment. اجتمع المشاركون في النسخة الثالثة من برنامج تحوّلات [رقمية] عن بُعد مع فرانسوا شوامبورن وتوم غرول المدربين والمرشدين الفنيين للبرنامج من ألمانيا، ضمن الجولة الثانية من جلسات الإرشاد الفني، يوم الأربعاء الماضي ٢٥ شباط. ركزت هذه الورش على صقل ودمج المشاهد الغامرة في حين تتقدم المشاريع نحو مراحل أكثر تطورًا من الإنتاج، وذلك استكمالًا لما تمّ بناؤه في الجلسات السابقة. كما تناولت الجلسة تعزيز الترابط المكاني، والتنفيذ التقني، والانتقالات بين المشاهد ضمن البيئة الغامرة التي يصنعها كل فريق من الفرق المشاركة. #Digital_Transmissions_III #BCMENAARTS #DigitalArt #WorldBuilding @kafdjordan