Imagining Futures

The installation Imagining Futures. The power of futures thinking in uncertain times explores how people, in times of crisis, can and dare to imagine different futures - and what that can mean for them. 

The installation presents several people who live in the Netherlands and have family in Israel, Gaza, or the West Bank. They took part in a ‘futures thinking’ workshop in Amsterdam led by Israeli designer and peace activist Mushon Zer-Aviv and Palestinian Dutch political scientist Dana Rentenaar. During the workshop, they imagined different futures. Futures they hope for, and futures they fear. Their stories, the process they went through, and the tangible results from the workshop, are presented in the installation, both visually and audibly. 

Create your own images from the future 

What changes in the world affect people’s lives? And how do they shape our ideas about the future? In the interactive part of Imagining Futures, we invite you to create your own ‘images from the future’ and add them to the installation. You can do this yourself with the instructions provided, with help from our staff members, or by taking part in a guided workshop.  

Futures thinking as an act of hope 

Mushon Zer-Aviv developed his workshop shortly after the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas. Futures thinking, imagining various possible (and impossible) futures, can shift our perception of the present. It helps us make choices in the here and now, and offers hope and inspiration for shaping our future.   

New programme series 

Imagining Futures is part of the new series of programs around current events that the Jewish Cultural Quarter is developing in the coming years. In it, together with our audience, social and cultural partners, thinkers and artists, we explore in depth current events that touch on Jewish identity. The program series seeks to explore different perspectives and will be filled with exhibitions, public programs, podcasts, publications and online.