How does the process of visualization relate to actualization? Can we identify examples of real products and places whose design has been influenced by the fantastic technology in science fiction films? If “the future is now” how does that affect our ability to imagine the future? What constitutes science fiction in the first place?

Our team of researchers will collaborate with students at the Berliner Technische Kunsthochschule this winter semester 2009/2010 and explore these questions. We will use our collective intelligence to “fact-check” the assumptions and predictions made in science fiction films, analyzing today’s technology and culture to see how it compares to the fantasies in the films. At the conclusion of the class we will make our own predictions about the future.