Sincerely, for the time to come
(from 2019 to 2030)
Sincerely, for the time to come is a collection of letters, written by past selves to their respective future selves.
The events of the past year have destabilised the meanings and values, which we use to ascribe the most disparate elements constituting our social, economical, and political reality. It has become abundantly clear that our perception of our unstoppable systems holding together civilisation were only an illusion, and these chains of order can be swiftly brought to their knees by a biological entity as small as a virus. We can only assume that this is a gentle introduction to a future series of environmental catastrophes caused by the devastating disruption of natural cycles and exhaustion of natural resources. This first global and sobering glimpse into the future has left many of us wondering in what way this may present a potentially transformative moment. And, as a matter of fact, we have witnessed sweeping protests, previously unseen in their magnitude, fighting for racial equality and political freedom. Yet, at the same time, we have also seen a number of world leaders trying to ensure economic stability at the expense of the health and wellbeing of their citizens.
We are now at the cusp of a change that could take humanity in a variety of directions. But, what if the pandemic was still to happen? What if the current crisis could only exist as a potentiality in the minds of our yesterday’s selves? How would the post-pandemic future look like if this event never unfolded? Would these fictional past selves still be able to imagine the future the way it used to? Is our experience so pervasive that it cannot be undone even by the means of narrative and imagination?
© Salomé Chatriot and Samuel Fasse
Sincerely, for the time to come aims to explore the potential of artistic language to create an alternative path to the future. Artists and thinkers were asked to write an open letter from the perspective of their past selves (2019) to their future selves (2030). This digital project was initiated by Gabrielė Sankalaitė and produced in the context of Beyond Human, 2020 - festival for humanoids and other beings. Special thanks to Alexander Mouret.
The project includes contributions from: Roberta Buiani, Salomé Chatriot and Samuel Fasse, François-Joseph Lapointe, Jessica McCulloch, Hege Tapio, Darko Vukić, Jennifer Willet.