{"id":90233,"date":"2025-09-19T08:30:22","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T06:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schaltzeit.com\/?p=83014"},"modified":"2026-09-27T15:13:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T13:13:43","slug":"biennale-futura-schaltzeit-beim-festival-der-zukuenfte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schaltzeit.com\/en\/biennale-futura-schaltzeit-at-the-festival-of-futures\/","title":{"rendered":"Biennale Futura: Schaltzeit at the festival of futures"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFrom September 5 to October 5, the Industriesalon Sch\u00f6neweide is transformed into a lively laboratory for futures. Biennale Futura invites you to think about the day after tomorrow in many different ways. Of course, we couldn\u2019t say no and got involved in several ways: \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Futures Oracle <\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cAn absurd game with the uncertainty of the future. Futures studies is sometimes misunderstood as an attempt to predict the future \u2013 we\u2019re putting that myth to rest!\u201d<\/em>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWe often hear the question \u201cWhat will the future be like?\u201d when we tell people that we work in futures studies. Our answer: the future is not an existing object of research, but a space for thinking. And therefore not scientifically predictable. To illustrate this playfully, we designed the Futures Oracle. With a slight wink, it reminds us: statements about the future are constructions, not facts. They reflect present-day assumptions that we can examine in order to critically assess their credibility.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ask our oracle about the future and you get a funny, absurd or even nonsensical answer that is obviously nonsense \u2013 the perfect conversation starter for discussing with people how they judge whether statements about the future make sense. After all, just because we can\u2019t see into the future doesn\u2019t mean that engaging with the future is nonsense per se. What matters is: when does a statement about the future become useful? What quality criteria does it have to meet? What methods and data is it based on? Is it meant as creative inspiration or as a rational aid to decision-making?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCards for jotting down thoughts + a poster illustrating the question \u201cWhat does futures studies actually do?\u201d \u2013 and you\u2019re all set for meaningful conversations\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We are thrilled by the many different discussions that emerged at the Biennale \u2013 from humorous digressions about absurd oracle results on world domination \ud83d\udc51, the moon as a tax haven \ud83c\udf1a or dogs as members of parliament \ud83d\udc36 \u2013 to curious questions about futures studies and philosophical reflections on theories of knowledge.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The SMART FACTORY simulation game <\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cWhat could be more fitting for the backdrop of the Industriesalon than a serious game about the transformation of industries? Sch\u00f6neweide was once the heart of Berlin\u2019s industry; today, the site bears the marks of change.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe game was developed as part of the Akteure 4.0 working group, which involved Fraunhofer IAO, Festo and Festo Didactic, Rota Yokogawa, Siemens and Schaltzeit. SMART FACTORY is designed to convey the hurdles and potential at the intersection of technical automation and human skills.\n\nAfter the Sch\u00f6neweide team had successfully saved the rubber shoe factory, our scenario tool was used to develop various images of the future of shoe production: from vegan mushroom leather and sensor technology to fashion trend cycles and greenwashing. The implications for business models and for production and supply chains were particularly interesting after the SMART FACTORY game.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow do you successfully transform traditional manufacturing into Industry 4.0? In the SMART FACTORY game, a team saves a shoe factory from bankruptcy as an example. Players travel into the future and collect ideas for improving production there. Along the way, they have to make decisions together, negotiate budgets and develop strategies.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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