Eu/u/dys -topia is a tool for critiquing the present by proposing parallel or future worlds where large changes have been (fictionally) made, casting today in a different light, estranged. Eu - the positive, collective part, is largely missing from popular fiction today. This is a problem that can be traced back to the man who named the genre, Thomas More, in 1516, and to the complex history of the 20th century that saw the end of the large, functioning communisms around the world.
After a short introduction regarding the above, this workshop will use a series of group exercises, from drawing and crafting to discussion, thought experiments and debate, to explore how a positive, functioning world might look if the main headline tomorrow morning read:
'World leaders have got together and decided the best way to create a happy, functioning world is to phase out private property and wealth over the next 50 years - WTF???'
The aim of the workshop is to stimulate ideas about the implications of this idea - both positive and negative - to create mini fictions that re-imagine the city of Linz as the headline (above) takes effect around the world.
The workshop is part of a research project leading up to an exhibition in AFO during ARS 2018.