Many thanks to Steven Heller, who gave a wonderful talk to a sold out audience last week. A taping of the lecture is available as part of the Paul Rand Lecture Series at MFA Designer as Author.
In the past the future looked much brighter than it does today—and also more futuristic. Design played an essential role in speculating and defining “what’s next” through technologies and veneers. Our future was at once streamlined and primitive. There was a sense of wonder and wonderment that, curiously, does not exist today. The future is bland. This talk looks at the promise of the past through the fairs and expositions that sold optimism. It looks at the dystopias as well and how designers and design contributed to both.Watch the video
