The inaugural showcase event will take place this October in聽East London. Future Artefacts will bring to together the world鈥檚 most progressive聽music, arts publishing, fashion and tech companies to celebrate the media artefacts聽of the future.聽The three-day fair will be an opportunity for the public to purchase future artefacts聽from a variety of producers under one roof. A programme of innovative workshops聽related to art and music, and talks in conjunction with media partner will run at聽Future Artefacts, alongside a series of satellite events and club nights.聽A food stall run by Miranda alongside bars and a lounge area will provide聽the opportunity to socialise with the exhibitors and visitors alike.
In today鈥檚 digital world the need to produce media as physical objects has now been聽eclipsed by new technologies. The mission of Future Artefacts is to champion the聽production of physical manifestations of contemporary media 鈥 whether it be books,聽records, artwork or fashion 鈥 objects that can only exist in physical form and increase聽in value over time rather than being destined for landfill. Future Artefacts aims to聽provoke and influence the future of media, beyond what already exists. We speak to Future Artefacts founders聽Ben Freeman – owner of the publishing聽company Ditto Press, and Deano Jo – founder of the Real Gold brand and owner of聽Dalston bar The Alibi.
A: Was there a specific moment which inspired this project and highlighted the importance of the physical form in media production?
贵础:听We聽both have a background in music and arts publishing, so mostly this is a result of us witnessing trends and patterns. However, a couple of years ago we were in Rough Trade Records, and saw a rack of DIY synthesiser kits. That was a real moment of clarity as it seemed so obvious: of course, people don鈥檛 need CDs any more, but they love music and they love objects. This is where things are going to go in the future.
A: Why is it that you want to protect physical manifestations of media from the new, virtual world?
贵础:听We believe in progression, not sentimentality: the Darwinist effect of commerce and technology. Future Artefacts partly grew as a reaction to the fetishisation of craft with little justification other than nostalgia. We believe that far fewer objects will be produced in the future, and those that are will be of increasingly high quality. If we can have a hand in steering or influencing that trend, all the better.
A: What experience do you think can be gained from a physical item as opposed to say, an e-book?
贵础:听A physical book is different to an e-book, not necessarily better. They each have an appropriate time, place and function.聽Consumption is an experience which relies on all specifics, from volume and shape to colour and texture, digital included.
A: There is a definite revolutionary or countercultural element to your project. Do you see yourselves building on this tradition when it comes to media production?
贵础:听That countercultural or subcultural streak runs through what we do because of our personal tastes and interests. We鈥檇 love to provoke a culture that really questions the necessity of anything physical, cuts down on wastefulness in every sense, and encourages consumers to be a lot more demanding, aware and selective of what they consume. In a way we are harnessing what we perceive to be an existing trend, in another way we are willing it to happen.
A: Your collaborations with record labels associate big names with small independent publishers and artists. Is this important to you as a means of highlighting newer artists and promoting them in the same channels?
贵础:听Visitors to a Future Artefacts event will be able to spend from 拢5 up to 拢5000 and there will be a real consistency in quality of thinking, content and production; that has informed the participants we鈥檝e chosen.
A: This is the first event of its kind. How do you see Future Artefacts developing into the future, and what plans have you got beyond 2015?
贵础:听We鈥檇 live to build on our philosophy of 鈥渋f media is physical, it needs to be beautiful, otherwise make it digital鈥 and see where that takes us. We鈥檇 very much like to see new forms and types of media develop that adequately reflect the world we live in.
Future Artefacts will be held at聽Shoreditch Studios, East London, from 23-25 October 2015. Entry is free.
For more information and opening times, visit聽
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Credits
1.聽Reify,聽Prototype totem. Courtesy of Reify NYC.
