Future Lab is a collaborative initiative conceived by Professor Julian Chambliss that explores futurity through memory, imagination, and critical foresight. Engaging scholars, artists, and communities, it reimagines the archive as a living, dynamic entity shaped by collective action. Through reflection and experimentation, it fosters thoughtful engagement with exhibitions, collections, and alternative world-building.

What guides the work

Memory

We surface stories embedded in collections to anchor future making in lived experience.

Provocations

Activate the archive

This project seeks to collaborate on research that transforms archival materials into living resources.

Critical Foresight

We test ideas through reflection and experimentation to inform responsible decisions for the paths ahead.

Exhibition + Community

The project explores ways to translate scholarly knowledge and community insights into engaging public experiences.

Imagination

We prototype new possibilities that invite public participation and collective authorship.

Worldbuilding

This project aims to develop workshops and labs that scaffold collective futures, grounded in speculative practice, that foster care and community.