Curatorial Intent

Future-minded authors such as Jules Verne, Aldous Huxley, and George Orwell made surprisingly accurate predictions about the 21st century in their work. In 2021, who are the visionaries that will create similar images of the future?

In the aftermath of our new reality, we have re-learned and developed how we approach social, political, ecological, and economic uncertainties. Last year, our global design community came together to conceive of effective and innovative solutions, examining the ways we have had to adapt to the new reality. This year, we are focused on gathering everything that we have learned and actively applying it to our future. We turn our attention to the design world and ask what these solutions look like in practice – what does the future of design look like?

Adorno London 2021 explores the predictions for and possibilities of the future of design. Adorno has invited leading curators from eight countries to select a group of innovative and forward-thinking designers from their respective design communities to interpret this topic through their artistic practices. Through these collections, we investigate how these makers will shape the future of design and what the next decade will bring.

For curators, this future offers the ability to predict new trends, shape how audiences consume design, and begin the conversation of what is of greatest importance in each of their design scenes. 

For independent makers, this future is continuously being shaped by their ideas. They are pioneers driven by their individual outlooks on design, discussing and collaborating with fellow designers and artists, and developing innovative technologies, materials, and knowledge to illustrate what their design futures look like.

– We ask you to join the conversation of what comes next.