Speculative design is a methodology to envision better futures. Within this generative space, designers imagine, prototype, and build possibilities for the present moment  and for what’s to come.

Future Resonance features six experimental projects by multidisciplinary teams of graduate interaction, industrial, and graphic design students at California College of the Arts (CCA). Works span designed objects and experiences, such as graphic artifacts, digital tools, immersive installations, and personal narratives. Some of the works draw on individual stories to preserve memory and foster empathy across time and space. Others present intricate organic forms inspired by biotechnology to trace boundaries and investigate bridges between humans, machines, and the environment. Sonic and lighting design create a multisensory atmosphere within the gallery, showcasing sound’s unique ability to propel connection, transform consciousness, and carry cultural knowledge across space and time.

Future Resonance is the culmination of the year-long Studio Forward course, where students delve into pressing issues of our times through critical design practices and future studies. With sponsorship from Google, this year’s curriculum centers on connection, culture, and sound.

As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the designers communicate their visions of more inclusive, connected, and empathetic futures. It’s an opportunity to find and feel the unknown—together.

YBCA is committed to the transformative power of broad, boundary-breaking participation in art and design. With this collaboration with CCA, we help move forward our goal to bring together artists, designers, cultures, and communities to deepen understanding of—and engagement in—the essential questions of our time and place. As the current moment continues to call for radical levels of hope and repair, we invite people to connect to and be changed by one another through evocative creative experiences—inside our galleries with the Future Resonance exhibition—in pursuit of better ways forward.

Future Resonance and Studio Forward are made possible through the generous support of Google.

YBCA is grateful to the City of San Francisco for its ongoing support.

Image Details:

Cymatic Seeds, Viola Sun, 2022