Facebook Group
International
Futur en Seine has presented a unique and pioneering international program and perspective. It standed alone in its open, inclusive and interactive format, bringing together leading international visionaries, thinkers, creatives and practitioners with "grass-roots" interaction and public participation. At the same time, the festival offered the international visitor a uniquely broad and mixed program, with conferences, exhibitions, prototypes, and demonstrations, also in English, and free of charge across the city.
During the festival there has been be ample opportunity for international visitors to present innovative technology, prototypes and services and explore new research, development and business opportunities.
The festival also had a profound social and ethical perspective. At a time of global economic crisis, doubt in the future, and lack of trust in traditional social and economic institutions, the international festival and conference focused not only on technological progress and services in the city, but also on the social and ethical potential of media to (re)establish trust and collaboration between the "grass-roots" public, digital research and development, government and business.
The social and ethical impact of digital media and information technology on the structure, form and experience of life in the city of the future, from new products, services, tools, applications, to our physical and virtual space and relationships, is a subject of concern throughout the world.
The international program of Futur en Seine addressed this concern directly. Over the festival, the Futur en Seine international program brought together renowned international thinkers and visionaries with creatives and practitioners from leading European (and US) cities to discuss new approaches and prototypes, design new blue-prints, and formulate recommendations for a more "livable", humane, and sustainable digital city of the future.
The International "Futur en Seine" Program
Within this context, the international program focused throughout the festival on certain central themes, which will directly affect the lives of the citizen in the next few years. These include:
- Mobility.
- Space, Security, Trust.
- Collaborate Design, Mapping Complex networks across cultures and social layers.
- Environmental and Social Sustainability.
To open the international program on 30th/31st May 2009, leading international thinkers have addressed these themes at the World Information City, which has chosen to hold its major annual event in Paris, with such eminent speakers as Saskia Sassen (US/NL), Stephen Graham (UK), Bruno Latour (FR), John Urry (UK), Carlo Ratti (IT/US), Solomon Benjamin (IN), Eyal Weizman (IL), Christophe Aguiton (FR), Dominique Cardon (FR), and Brian Holmes (US). This major event offered new insight and debate at the highest international level, and was a fitting way in which to open the international festival.
These themes were addressed throughout the following days in a wide and colourful range of conferences, exhibitions, prototypes and demonstrations throughout the city and region, with diverse cultural, artistic and media-related perspectives. On an international level, events in English included workshops and presentations on such subjects as geo-localization and cultural mapping, audio-visual and open software innovation, and architectural experimentation in the WikiPlaza on the Place de la Bastille. The "Immaterial" Digital Season in the Maison des Métallos hosted such events as the "Arctic Perspective Initiative", focusing on an international project to design a mobile, media-centric facility, life-support habitation and work module with renewable energy supply, waste cycling and communications systems, and a range of other international exhibitions, conferences and performances. To the north of the city, in Saint-Ouen, Mains D’Oeuvres hosted the "Mal au Pixel" (Pixelache) International Festival of Electronic Art and Culture, featuring installations, performing arts, meetings, workshops and concerts around the themes of public space, urban electronics and ecology. The list of international events also comprised Eurodigimeet, featuring key players from the Digital Industries, and Read Digital, at the Bourse de Commerce, Dimension 3: The Future of 3D, at the Centre National de la Danse, Peter Greenaway’s "Tulse Luper VJ Tour" at the Bains Numériques in Enghien-les-Bains, and many more diverse and fascinating spectacles.
The international festival culminated in Cap Digital’s international event "World Future Digital City@FenS", under the heading "The Digital City in the Next Five Years", which took place over two days in the inspirational setting of the refurbished Hermes factory, in the historic heart of the city, near the Place de la Bastille.
World Future Digital City@FenS: "The Digital City in the Next Five Years"
- Time: 5th – 6th June, 2009
- Place: Cap Digital, 74 rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine, Paris
International guests (political advisors, planners, thinkers, creatives, business, research) and their Paris City/Region equivalent were invited to collaborate in discussing and designing the new paradigm of the digital city.
Cap Digital’s international event aimed to review and integrate the experience and insight generated and gained in the first days of the festival with the ideas, visions, and prototypes of practitioners, thinkers, and creatives, who have been invited from international cities renowned for their creativity in urban design and innovative digital applications. The international participants had been urged to show prototypes and demonstrations of their visionary work and to engage in workshops and interactive participation.
The event started with an International Conference, moderated by Andrew Bullen and Humberto Schwab, on the key issues pertaining to the impact of the digital media environment, products, services, tools and applications on the form and experience of life in the city of the future. European city representatives engaged in a Socratic Discourse, led by philosopher Schwab, on the burning questions around the future digital city, whilst visionary European digital prototypes and projects were presented. The participants then came together to define fundamental values and best practices, leading towards a collaborative vision and scenarios around such key areas as trust, mobility, sustainability, care and collaborative urban design.
In the evening, participants had the opportunity to enjoy a special boat trip, visiting some Futur-en Seine prototypes.
On the second day of the event, the focus turned from presentation and debate to a "hands-on" creative lab to design and build prototype "blue-prints" for the digital city of the future on the basis of the values, visions and scenarios generated on the first day. Waag Society from Amsterdam collaborated with the ENSCI School of Industrial Design and Nodesign from Paris to support participants in the move from vision to prototype on a physical level. The event ended with a presentation to the city and the international public of the visions and prototypes, underlined by recommendations for the measures, values, and collaborations needed to create an international paradigm for the digital city of the future.
"The Digital City in the Next Five Years"
Closing Event of the Futur en Seine International Festival
Cap Digital, 74 rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine , Paris - 5/6th June, 2009
Friday, 5th June 2009, 10:00 - 18:00, Cap Digital
Conference: "The Digital City in the next 5 years"
Conference: "The Digital City in the next 5 years"
Moderation Andrew Bullen / Humberto Schwab
Morning
- Opening, Introduction:
Reports on the Festival: new ideas, visions, projects
With Christophe Aguiton (Orange Labs), speaker from World Information City - Discussion / Socratic discourse with representatives of the cities and philosopher Humberto Schwab
What are the burning questions concerning the digital city of the future?
Confirmed participants:
Rick Batelaan (Senior Advisor, Infrastracture, Traffic & Transport, Municipality of Amsterdam);
Marleen Stikker (Founder and Director, Waag Society for Old and New Media, Amsterdam);
Lia Ghilardi (Founder and Director of Noema Research and Planning Ltd, London);
Leonard Wright (Co-organiser Convergence Chicago);
Pouline Middleton (Director, Crossroads Copenhagen);
Brendan Moffat (Director Strategic Marketing, Creative Sheffield);
Phil Jones (Managing Director, Wired Sussex, Brighton);
Mr Lari Lohikoski (Program Director, Culminatum Innovation, Helsinki);
Murielle Gagnon (Director Strategic programs and Joint Initiatives, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Ottawa). - Prototypes and projects for the Digital City of the Future:
Amsterdam (Rick Batelaan / Personal Travel Assistant);
Amsterdam (Frank Kresin / Digital Media and Sustainability in the City);
Amsterdam (Marleen Stikker: From First European "Digital City" to the Present);
London (Lia Ghilardi: Cultural Mapping, Identity, Cities);
Ottawa (Murielle Gagnon: Digital Nomadism);
Chicago (Leonard Wright: Digital Convergence);
Paris (Stephane Distinguin);
Sheffield (Brendan Moffat);
Brighton (Phil Jones);
and more...
With focus on aspects of:
- Trust / Control;
- Mobility;
- Sustainability;
- Identity / Collaborative urban design.
Lunch
Afternoon
- - Introduction of the Workshops;
- Defining values, best practices, visions;
- Building scenarios;
- Presentation of the collaborative visions, recommendations and scenarios for the digital city of the future.
Evening
Possibility of a boat trip to visit Futur-en-Seine prototypes.
Saturday, 6th June 2009, 10:00 - 18:00
Digital City Lab, Physical design and prototyping
Digital City Lab, Physical design and prototyping
In collaboration with Waag Society, Amsterdam, Nodesign, Paris, and students from the ENSCI School for Industrial Design.
Morning
- Recap of values, visions, scenarios and recommendations.
- Introduction to prototyping with "scrap" – renewable materials from the city.
- Inspiration session (presentation of inspirational scenarios, projects).
- Live Video Link with Amsterdam Sustainability Festival: Workshops for the Citizens. Opening of the event live from Amsterdam / Paris with senior representatives of the cities.
- Brainstorming Session.
Lunch
Afternoon
- Creative brainstorming and prototyping.
- 17:00 Presentation
- Presentation of the Visions, Prototypes and Recommendations;
- Discussion on the continuation of the concept development and design process. - 18:00 End