PLANETARY DREAMING: DESIGNING THE FUTURE reminds us that society is a construct we can reshape. Our collective imagination can redefine our future, especially when it becomes a shared effort.

With this initiative, we ask how we can cultivate the imagination needed to envision a sustainable society. It isn’t about economic calculations or short-term growth but embracing grand dreams and visions.

What kind of society do we want, and how can we, along with the companies and institutions we interact with, move towards sustainability? What kind of world do we want for future generations?

Designers, architects, and artists play a crucial role in crafting visions for a desirable future. Historically, they’ve inspired decision-makers with ambitious visions and alternative worldviews, what philosopher Nelson Goodman called ‘Ways of Worldmaking.’

Through Planetary Dreaming, we aim to revitalize art’s role in society by asking how we can ignite the imagination for a sustainable future, with architecture and design at its core.

We align with…

…The Entertainment & Culture for Climate Action initiative by UN Climate Change which aims to integrate the arts, design, and entertainment sectors into impactful climate action.

Art, design, and storytelling are crucial to this effort, enabling us to imagine and create a future that is sustainable, equitable, and adaptable to climate impacts.

Initiators of Planetary Dreaming

Planetary Dreaming is founded by Ida Engholm, Morten Meldgaard, and Jakob Ion Wille, as a collaborative initiative that unites designers, architects, artists, and professionals from development and innovation-oriented sectors to explore how we can transform our relationship with the Earth by shifting from a human-centered approach to a life-centered worldview in design.

Established at the Royal Danish Academy, Planetary Dreaming brings together actors from design, architecture, art, and innovation to exchange and promote resources and tools that can help push forward what we hope will become a new paradigm in design and design thinking, built on the belief that through hope and agency, we can cultivate change together.

Research: Futuring Design

The plan is for PLANETARY DREAMING: DESIGNING THE FUTURE to function as a resource leading up to the establishment of a research and development center, which is planned to be developed in 2025.

However, it also retains its collaborative and decentralized nature as a ‘center-without-center,’ comprising the diverse contributors and institutions that drive initiatives aligned with the platform’s mission to be a hub for positive and visionary perspectives on the future of our planet

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