The 2011 Chicago Humanities Festival asked Marshall Brown together with Stephanie Smith, chief curator at the University of Chicago Smart Museum and Georgeen Theodore of Interboro Partners, to deliver a program on the future of American cities. We used the model of the minority report. Of course it is the title of the Philip K. Dick story that later became a Steven Spielberg/Tom Cruise film. But minority reports are also a kind of document used in futures studies and scenario planning exercises to issue a dissenting opinion. They expose the blind spots and prejudices resulting from uncritical acceptance of official futures.
We commissioned a series of minority reports from architects, artists, planners, and activists from around the country, asking them to paint a picture of the city where they live and work with a view from 50 years in the future. We specifically asked for narratives that did not confirm to the dominant discourse on either shrinking cities or the impending environmental apocalypse.
Manifestees: Kim Beck, John Brumit + Sarah Wagner, Aziza Chaouni, Gabrielle Esperdy, David Fletcher, Kaja Kühl, Jesse Le Cavalier, Aaron Levy, Clare Lyster, Damon Rich, James Rojas, Allan Shearer
The video at left is from our sold-out program and was created by the Chicago Humanities Festival.
PARTNERING