In this exhibition, Natal photographs three evocative sites—a Las Vegas desert preserve, Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona, and an array of Iceland’s geothermal vistas—to imagine what the landscapes of the future might look like.
Starting in the year 2040 and going back in time to 2010 (our recent past), this work of science fiction explores our ideas of nature and how these ideas shape (and are shaped by) our landscape. “Future Perfect” is a utopian dream and a cautionary tale, providing opportunities for reflection on our present moment and the choices we have yet to make.
An educator at Columbia College Chicago, Natal uses her voracious curiosity and a researcher’s drive to explore the relationship between human interventions (be it in science, technology, industry, or the arts) and nature. She explains, “I believe making art is an act of interpretation based on asking questions.” In recent projects, she has visited the Carnegie Mellon robotics lab to ask, “Where does the human end and machine begin?” and the Gulf Coast to witness how industry is shaping that ecosystem and the lives of the people in that region. Her work continues to explore facets of our current situation and offers observations about how we think about nature, our effect on our environment, and what the future might hold for us.
Accompanying the exhibition is a library of books on architecture, environmentalism, poetry, ecology, science, utopia, climate change, culture, art, and fiction. These texts give context to this body of Natal’s work and offer pathways to further explore intersections of these subjects.
The only truth I can understand or express is, logically defined, a lie. Psychologically defined, a symbol. Aesthetically defined, a metaphor.
–Ursula K. Le Guin
“The Left Hand of Darkness”
Would the last animal, eating garbage and living on the last scrap of land, his mate dead, would he still forgive you?
–Barry Lopez
“Emory Bear Hands’ Birds”
Philip K. Dick didn’t come here to predict the future, he came here to change it.
–Tom Stafford
“Mind Hacks”
The future isn’t here yet, the future isn’t viral, the future isn’t even in beta … the future isn’t a bad thing, the future isn’t blade runner, the future isn’t bright, the future isn’t worth it, the future isn’t functional, the future isn’t quite what it used to be, the future isn’t just, the future isn’t on a college campus, the future isn’t what you think, the future isn’t flat, the future isn’t assured, the future isn’t an iPhone, the future isn’t even the future, the future isn’t even fun, the future isn’t really my style, the future isn’t pretty, the future isn’t modern, the future isn’t what it claimed to be, the future isn’t now with video conference, the future isn’t rock solid, the future isn’t what they thought it would be in 1962, the future isn’t now, future isn’t black and white, the future isn’t always set in stone, future isn’t invisible, the future isn’t just in the U.S., the future isn’t so sketchy, the future isn’t mine, who took it? The future isn’t hopeless, the future isn’t here, the future isn’t very unique, the future isn’t plastics, the future isn’t written, the future isn’t what it was, the future isn’t a light bulb at all, the future isn’t exactly stellar, the future isn’t just evolving, it’s exploding, the future isn’t pretty … the future isn’t an ideological problem, the future isn’t a novelty album from a novelty band, the future isn’t a gleaming plastic and sci-fi utopia filled with anthropomorphic robots, conveyor belts, and furniture, the future isn’t a noun, it’s a verb, the future isn’t Twitter, the future isn’t always fictional, the future isn’t that far-fetched, the future isn’t what I expected, the future isn’t assured for anybody, the future isn’t just about money, the future isn’t shaping up to be as futuristic as we expected, the future isn’t just some arbitrary thing that happens on its own, the future isn’t paradoxical, the future isn’t fixed, and we can change it.
–Mimi Zeiger
“Views/Predictions for 2009: With Apologies to Paul Valery and Yogi Berra”
