ACMI has announced the world premiere Summer exhibition, The Future & Other Fictions, which will change the way you think about the future, showcasing the storytelling craft of leading creatives from film, videogames and screen-based art.
Co-curated by Gunai / Kurnai ACMI Curator Amanda Haskard, and film director and futurist Liam Young, the exhibition celebrates screen culture’s role in shaping a more optimistic world, examining how futures are imagined and made onscreen, with artworks, sets, props, scripts, clips, costumes, and original design materials on display.
Go back to the future and see how acclaimed works were crafted, including Academy Award-winning costumes from Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Björk’s mesmerising music video The Gate; miniature sets from director Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi blockbuster Blade Runner 2049; original sketches from futuristic First Nations comic series, NEOMAD; concept art from videogames Cyberpunk 2077 and Saltsea Chronicles, plus visually compelling film thriller The Creator.
Look ahead to new possibilities, with the Afrofuturistic imaginings of artist Olalekan Jeyifous; the vivid Tamil dreamscapes of Osheen Siva; and the fashion activism of Tagata Moana art collective Pacific Sisters. Two brand new commissions affirm the future is ours to create. Queensland-based artist and DJ Hannah Brontë draws upon her culture with a short film centred on the embodiment of Country.
Liam Young and Ngarrindjeri, Narungga, Kaurna and Noongar actress Natasha Wanganeen (Rabbit-Proof Fence, Limbo) poignantly reimagine a world in which fossil fuel production has ceased, and communities return to rebuild the landscape.
“This exhibition reminds us that the way we imagine the future, is shaped by popular film, TV shows, and videogames,” said ACMI Director & CEO, Seb Chan.
“Many alternative visions of the future can and do exist. From two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter to Italian fashion designer Alessandro Michele; New Zealand’s renowned special effects studio Weta Workshop to the Pilbara’s own Love Punks.”
“We hope that visitors leave optimistic about what might be possible – and find hope in designing the futures we need,” said Chan.
“Storytelling and imaginary worlds can help us connect to the future on a deeper, emotional level,” said Exhibition Co-Curator Liam Young. “They can dramatise data, ideas, and challenges, immersing us in the aftermath of the decisions we face today.”
“Speculative cities can be cautionary tales, or roadmaps to a brighter future. The exhibition is an open invitation to all visitors to imagine the futures we need now.”
The one-of-a-kind artistic chameleon Björk will be the focus of a film season at ACMI Cinemas from 28 November to 16 December 2024.
From her acting debut in bewitching folklore drama The Juniper Tree (1990) to her award-winning role in the Palme d’Or decorated Dancer in the Dark (2000), and more recent foray into fungi in documentary Fungi: Web of Life (2023), the retrospective celebrates Björk’s many talents as a musician, actor, and artistic collaborator.
Other titles in the season include the post-apocalyptic Tank Girl (1995), animated adventure Moomins and the Comet Chase (2010), breathtaking performance film Björk: Biophilia Live (2014) and a free showcase of striking concert visuals by animation collective LynnFox that deserve to be seen on the big screen.
Schools can take advantage of The Future & Other Fictions to inspire young minds, and teaching practices. A one-day professional learning workshop on 6 December 2024 will tap into the Blak Futures presented in the exhibition, offering insights from First Nations curators, educators, and filmmakers on teaching First Nations film texts in the classroom.
The Future & Other Fictions
ACMI, Fed Square, Melbourne
Exhibition: 28 November 2024 – 27 April 2025
Entry fees apply
For more information, visit: www.acmi.net.au for details.
Images: Ryan Gosling in Blade Runner 2049 (2017), directed by Denis Villeneuve – courtesy of Alcon Entertainment, Columbia Pictures | Olalekan Jeyifous, Anarchonauts Study Partner 2 | Bjork, The Gate, album artwork – courtesy of Andrew Thomas Huang