Pete Rive
WORLDBENDING is about the end of the world as we know it, how we got here, who we will share new worlds with, and what we might do about making survival plans? Better still, it goes beyond survival and considers how we might enjoy a meaningful life in the future.WORLDBENDING is an aesthetic look at the philosophy of how we build, bend and break worlds. It applies design theory and Speculative Realism, also known as 'Object Oriented Ontology' to the myths and legends behind our creative technology. In the words of the author this ‘Thing Related Reality’ is essential for humanity and the nonhuman majority to survive. We need creativity to think about thinking and a Speculative Design approach to building better worlds and alternate futures. WORLDBENDING is an art form that creatively questions the past, present and future.A survey published in 2015 found that: Almost 80% agreed ‘we need to transform our worldview. This is a speculative art form, WORLDBENDING not just for ourselves, but also for the nonhuman majority, with the aspiration to make better worlds together. It is a utopian look at world building, it is not, however, a blueprint with step by step instructions. Individually we are all world builders, yet this is not an exclusive human talent. WORLDBENDING discusses how you might go about building better worlds and will explore ways that we can be more receptive to new creative forces that can open up those future worlds. At the same time we must be wary of the cognitive restraints and hidden controls – historically created, and that currently exist in our culture and computer technology. World building is a massive transdisciplinary task. If we want to move beyond the dangerous limitations of the spurious complexity in this world, we require a co-design approach that engages all of those who will co-exist in the worlds of the future. This leads us to consider the exciting possibilities of creative collaboration amongst both humans and nonhumans. Before we materially construct anything, we must aesthetically take action, imaginatively and creatively engaging with both the organic and inorganic things all around us – we must get over the guilt of the damage we have caused and fall in love with ourselves and the others who share these worlds. 3
