THE...AND BEYOND INSTITUTE FOR FUTURE RESEARCH



The Claudia Jones Space Station (2017)

The Claudia Jones Space Station (CJSS) was a temporary, living monument named after pioneering Trinidad-born journalist and activist Claudia Jones.

Over four days in November 2017, The Claudia Jones Space Station performed an experiment in community formation, involving visitors, collaborators and participants from across the North East of England.

Inspired by the model of the International Space Station where multiple experiments take place simultaneously, the CJSS invited visitors to take part in a range of workshops, events and screenings organised in partnership with artists, activists and collectives concerned with questions of social justice, from Newcastle, Gateshead and beyond. Private or individual meetings, conversations and exchanges can also take place within the space.

What kind of solidarities can be built between people brought together through common interests?

What kind of futures can we imagine for ourselves, our communities and our planet?

How can the act of monumentalising a neglected 20th century cultural figure such as Claudia Jones ignite revolutionary possibilities for the commons in the 21st century?

The Claudia Jones Research Station was initiated by the …And Beyond Institute for Future Research.

This project was part of Freedom City, commissioned by The NewBridge Project in partnership with BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art.

Presented across BALTIC & The NewBridge Project : Gateshead
The NewBridge Project : Gateshead, 16-17 November
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, 18-19 November

Full programme available here

Performance Skills for Activists led by Rosa Stourac McCreery






Into The Future! (2015)
Hackspace and Broadway, Nottingham

For the second Intersections commission, Primary invited the ‘…And Beyond Institute for Future Research’ to base its operations in the city of Nottingham, from January to June 2015.

Who makes The Future?
Is imagining The Future a political act?
Can speculation be revolutionary?

This two-day event led by the …And Beyond Institute for Future Research was the culmination of the four Intersections commission at Primary.

Featuring two workshops, which utilised a shared science fiction narrative to construct alternative visions of the future, through object making and storytelling and culminating in a day-long conversation broadcast live via This is Tomorrow.

How are notions of Utopia and Dystopia related and why do they form the basis of the way the Future is constructed in popular culture?

What kind of Speculative Relationships can we envisage for the future?

What are the political implications of imagining the future?

With thanks to the women of ABIFR Nottingham: Angela Martinez Dy, Lori Amor, Mariel Rodart, Pepita Stringer, Sarah Martindale and Tatiana Styliari, and Yitong Huang for working with us to develop prototypes.

This event was produced by Primary, with kind support from Near Now, Broadway and Horizon Research Institute.

'Into the future!' open call digital flyer.
 



The Future is Coming on 
An interview by Wayne Burrows 

“The future isn’t all robot butlers, meal pills and Barbarella-style jumpsuits – ...And Beyond Institute for Future Research’s ‘space programme’ project aims to inspire women to think about ideas, issues and dreams that relate to their lives by imagining the future. We caught ABIFR leader, Sonya Dyer, in the very much present day, ahead of their workshop at Primary…”
Read the full text here ︎︎︎