... we look back at the social developments of the past decades. How did we overcome the climate crisis? What have we changed in our accelerated everyday life? How did we find access to politics again? What has changed in our economic system? We, Linda and Louisa, invite you to the exhibition: Transformation into the golden age of resonance - A look back
In 2040
The golden age of resonance
- A look back
The mobile exhibition looks back at 2020 from the perspective of 2040. It shows the three main crises of that time: the democratic crisis, the ecological crisis and the psychological crisis and how they were overcome. Using objects, films, audio recordings, infographics, texts and quotations, visitors are motivated to dream their own future again.
The virtual exhibition starts here
Crises
01
If we emit 2.5 t CO2 per year and live to be 80 years old, we will have used up our life quota of 200 t. We had already far exceeded this value at the age of 24. Our lifestyle was not suitable for grandchildren because we had become used to being extremely mobile. For a long time it was not clear to us how catastrophic the consequences of flying are: That it has an even greater impact on our own carbon footprint than an animal-based diet. That the increased CO2 emissions warm the climate and causes heat waves, water shortages, floods, a fight for resources, the sixth mass extinction of countless animal species arise. Just because we can get from Frankfurt to Rome faster by plane.
The social market economy brought us prosperity. We found jobs, we made money, we could afford something. Our grandmothers said that mass production of colored plastic brought color back to their everyday lives after the gray war. At the same time the competitive pressure increased, the model of the "economic man" was invented. The efficient division of labor alienated us from our work. Socially acceptable capitalism developed into a fantasy of eternal growth. To keep up, we had to do better - in everything. Sociologist Hartmut Rosa describes what this meant for our everyday life: »Handle jederzeit so, dass deine Weltreichweite größer wird.« Always act in such a way that your reach of the world increases.
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A larger global reach meant something like: more money, more work, more shoes, more shirts, more information, more likes, more skills, more knowledge, more travel, more celebrations, more sport, more mindfulness, more self-care, more entertainment, more engagement. More stress. Too much work, too much housekeeping, too much stuff. And no more time for what we actually want. We no longer knew what it was. We felt powerless, rushed, lonely, unheard, exposed to the world.
The
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It is difficult to explain why we believed that there was everlasting growth. This myth remained in our minds until the late 1920s, because our entire economic system was based on it. In our ideas there was only either capitalism or communism. Then capitalism appeared to be the safer solution to economic prosperity. In the belief in growth, we rashly use finite resources such as oil for heating, driving and for single-use products such as plastic dishes, bags or small paraffin candles in aluminum containers.
04
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In 1968 the Club of Rome published the report “The Limits to Growth”. The discussion about a more sustainable future for mankind broke out. The more years passed, the denser the facts became and the more difficult and sparse the discourse. Humanity was walking on a consistent path towards the climate crisis. In 1982, companies like ExxonMobil, an American oil company, already knew the consequences of continuing to burn fossil fuels - as if they were infinite. The earth's finiteness and the consequences of its use were largely ignored until 2020. The economic interests connected with the belief in eternal growth were too great.
The
06
Der Markt durfte niemals gesättigt werden, denn was verkauft eine UnternehmerIn, wenn alle schon haben, was sie brauchen? Kundendienste wurden der verlängerte Arm des Vertriebs, sie bestellten einfach Neuware, statt Vorhandenes zu reparieren. Es wurde bewusst geplant, dass Glühbirnen aufhören zu leuchten, und Drucker aufhören zu drucken. Unternehmen hafteten nicht für ihren Müll und verschifften ihn in ferne Länder. Lange gab es keine CO2-Steuer, sodass in profitableren Ländern produziert wurde, um die Waren dann billig über den Kontinent zu jagen. Produkte wurden verklebt und kompliziert verschraubt, Kleidung aus anfälligen, synthetischen Stoffen hergestellt. Nach ein paar Monaten war es Zeit für etwas Neues.
07
The everyday acceleration was too fast for our democracy. She seemed slow, tough and paralyzed to us - no more than an administrator. Problems were recognized too late, there was no room to create, no alternatives. We felt disappointed with the promise of democracy. Politicians and citizens stopped listening to each other. We did not work together to shape our future. Instead we suffered from time pressure and stood still, unheard and abandoned.
08
We rushed through our lives. We were restless, there was no time left to linger. We became faster, more efficient, more productive, but we still came to the end of our strength. So everything stimulating and pushing was welcome. We always wanted to get better and better. The overexploitation on our bodies became a tolerated evil to keep up with the pulse of the world. We ordered what gave us energy - but only TO GO, plase.
Transformation
01
Over time, we have learned to pay more attention to our total CO2 emissions. Companies such as Doconomy have helped here. A company founded in Sweden in 2018 that produces two credit cards: The white credit card tracks, measures and compensates for the personal CO2 footprint every day. The black card was the first credit card in the world to contain the CO2 emission limit, so that purchases above the CO2 limit cannot be processed. We have learned that carbon emissions trading cannot work and that we have to keep an eye on our overall balance in terms of mobility, nutrition, heating, electricity and other consumption.
The
The
Measured by gross domestic product and our income, we should have been happier than ever. But we weren't. Demands for flexible working time models and compatibility of work and leisure have become louder. The measurement of prosperity was then no longer based solely on economic figures, but expanded: Categories such as time prosperity, community spirit, environment, civil engagement or work-life balance were added. Our understanding of prosperity was slowly changing.
The
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02
03
We were able to moderate our own hyper consumption when we started doing things again - by thinking about what we use. Why was this one item so much more important than another? Why is one covered with patina, the other just a decorative accessory among many? We made objects ourselves. We re-adapted notebooks that were initially lifeless and empty. We used teapots, planted plants, sawn wood, inserted film cans, let neoprene shoes dry, bread recipes were messed up. We transformed our world and its things. What does yours world look like?
04
In the flood of attention-grabbers, ad blockers became our digital protective shields. To avoid advertising, we started to pay for previously free content. For example, for the mail account at Posteo, for journalism at Perspective Daily or for ad-free listening at Spotify. Before, we paid with our data, with us as a platform for their psychographic targeting. Now, we preferred to spend money on it. We tried not to let sale fashion posters manipulate us and instead bought clothes in vintage shops or through second-hand platforms like Kleiderkreisel.
05
If we look back, we see how our mental infrastructures and our actions have changed. International agreements, such as the 1987 ban on the use of CFC as an ozone depleting substance, led to global improvements. The ozone hole has been shrinking for years, and the final closure is expected in 30 years. Initiatives such as the first car sharing project 'stadt-Auto' from 1988 have changed our everyday lives to this day. In 2009 the first ecological search engine Ecosia was founded. The first unwrapped shop opened in 2014. In 2018 we started demonstrating for climate justice. In 2019, the European Parliament announced the climate emergency. In 2030 we quit coal mining. Many small steps transformed the world.
The manufacturers had created a repair monopoly. We bought things without owning them properly, because we couldn't open, repair or change them at our own discretion. In order to rebel against this monopoly and the throw-away economy, we began to take their objects, to dismantle them. We started to transform the objects. IFixit has contributed to this with repair manuals for every known technical product. Millions of people today use these instructions to repair their devices themselves. You save money and make everything last longer. Maybe as long as the oldest lightbulb in the world. It has been burning for 137 years.
The
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06
07
There were those who stuck their heads in the sand, those who bravely went ahead and those who didn't quite know what to believe. The hopeful stepped forward to be able to make a difference in the world out of conviction. Their belief in a future worth living was crucial. They thought of all the previous crises that humanity had overcome, they thought of the impossible that was made possible. They recognized the chances that these crises would hold if one only seized them.
During industrialization, we worked 60 hours a week, in 2020 it was only 34.5 hours on average, today in 2040 we have 20 hours of gainful employment and 20 hours of market-free supply time. When we started working it was different. We can well remember not having enough time for friends, family and community. When we got home in the evening, we were tired. The weekend consisted of only two days, which was just enough to recover from the busy week. People campaigned for more livable time. Market-free time that you can dispose of yourself.
The
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The golden age of resonance
Today, in 2040, we are in the golden age of resonance. We live in a way that is suitable for grandchildren, communal, self-effective and time-confident. In your opinion, what are the most influential developments or the most important changes that have brought us here from the crises? What have politics, the economy and our daily behavior contributed to this improvement?
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The virtual exhibition ends here
Maybe we could put you a little bit in our spirit at that time, because it is not a matter of course that we can lead a good, grandchild-friendly life together today. That is why we would like to thank all people who have not lost their courage and who have made a difference little by little with enthusiasm and optimism. But we also want to ask your forgiveness because we have been distracted, tired, manipulated, over-saturated, misguided and disoriented for far too long.
The future is in our hands.
Linda and Louisa
Contact
Hi, we are Louisa and Linda. This exhibition is our graduation project in communication design.
It was created in early 2020 at the Würzburg Faculty of Design and supervised by Prof. Christoph Barth and Dr. Judith-Frederike Popp. It is designed as a mobile exhibition, here you can see it digitally. We look forward to your questions and we are open to talk about the entire project!
Work process
This mobile exhibition was made as sustainable as possible. We were able to buy or collect almost all materials and aids used. We are allowed to use the recycled slats, wooden panels and fabrics thanks to a cooperation with the Kulturgewächshaus Fürth. Thanks for your support!
Responsible for the content of this page:
Louisa Wolf
Landolfstrasse 21 , 67661 Kaiserslauten
louisa-wolf [at] posteo.de
017662478115
All works published here are protected by copyright and are the property of Louisa Wolf and Linda Nißlbeck.
