ART OF THE FUTURE AND LAB CULTURE
For more than 15 years, we enjoy working with all kind of organizations, companies, cities, cultural places and platforms, universities, think-tanks, etc., and across borders.
Your future challenges are ours also and we are here to help you EXPLORE, IMAGINE AND CONQUER YOUR FUTURE.
Foresight research, i.e. the art of thinking of possible futures, is meant to guide innovation and organizations towards tomorrow’s sources of value, and to open and shift minds toward the future, to act with trust and responsibility and take part in the future (agency). It’s a path that enables to save time, money, energy and meaning (resilient purpose) in a world dramatically in need of more.
Our FUTUR LABs can last from a day to several years, evolve at various rhythms, and encompass a large community or remain discreet and strategic R&D. They are briefly presented on this page, including our on-going art-based research threads which enable us to experiment freely and feed our other collaborations.
See all our labs below and Raphaële Bidault-Waddington’s conferences and publications.
According to the specific challenges and timeline addressed, we suggest a research methodology (weak signals and trend analysis, structural and contextual transformations, scenario-planning, fiction and speculative design, strategy prototypes, project design, etc.) to be activated in various formats.
Complementary to the foresight, our FUTUR LABs can include a comprehensive audit of the history, imaginary and economic model of your organization/brand/project to highlight its creative and most resilient renewal levers and potential (Perspective method).
IN CONCRETE TERMS, a FUTUR LAB includes:
1/ A future and strategic research challenge,
2/ Pedagogy and insights on current transitions and emerging trends,
3/ A choice of formats (conferences, illustrated studies, publications, workshops, open-labs, think-tanks, etc.),
4/ A collective intelligence process along with collaborative methods,
5/ A more or less open and broad community of participants.
All our LABs start with a good conversation… Feel free contact us HERE
LABs 360°
LABs Territories
LABs Organizations
LAB Greater Paris
Lab “Toward Alien Cosmologies”, 2017-20 > Designing Futures for the Anthropocene, AI and Post-Truth Era
Future topology to design 360° scenarios of large scales anthropological transitions.
Series of publications (Sush Muzeum review #1, 2020, FuturHebdo review #5, 2020, FUTUR(S) book by Peclers, 2017) ;
conferences (Cybiose Winter Symposium, Nordic Summer University, Berlin, 2020, Art&Science Chair, Ecole Polytechnique-ENSAD, 2019), Disputaziune Susch #2, Switzerland, 2018) ;
and design fiction workshops (Duperré Design School, 2018, Forecast Laboratory, Telecom Paris Tech, 2018).
AFHYPAC, 2020 > Collective Intelligence to design strategies for the French Hydrogen Industry and its territorial implications
Design and moderation of a collective intelligence process to explore possible futures for hydrogen, its industry in France and the association that represents it. Reflection on regional, national and european implications or influence.
Covid-19 Socio-Economic Resilience Lab, 2020 > Marshall Plan For Training, new Commons and Purpose economy
Research and design of post-covid-19 socio-economic resilience strategies.
Series of foresight and academic articles (La Tribune, medium.com, etc. 20-21), webinars (EU Commission, Unesco, 2020), and collective mobilization with European future think-tank LEAP2040.
Series of collaborative research workshops on benefit corporations, APCI, 2020.
Research and publications (due soon) with Michel Bauwens on the commons economy and the “generative company”.
Reissue of design fiction book “Paris Ars Universalis”, 2019-20 > New series of critics, articles, conferences and workshops
Critics on francetvinfo.fr, 2019, metropolitiques.eu, 2020, Grand Paris Développement Magazine, 2020, and Review Futur Hebdo, 2020.
Conference and workshop, Prospective Lab, Futuribles International, 2019,
Opening keynote conference of international symposium “Urban Contradictions #2”, LAVUE Laboratory, ENSA Paris La Villette, 2020.
PECLERS FUTURE TRENDS, since 2011 > Global and Societal Future Trend Studies (FUTUR(S) book)
Future trend research and editing for FUTUR(S) (professional and global publication distributed on five continents) based on a weak-signal method, and presenting a panorama of societal transformation on a 3-5 years horizon. Topics: identity codes and societal models, well-being, environment, collaborative economy revolution, cultural globalization and decolonization, relation to time and space, quest for meaning and transcendence, new frontiers of science and technologies, etc.
LUMA Foundation, Arles, 2017-18 > Art City, Hospitality, Urban Resilience and innovation
Pedagogy about territorial resilience strategies and new innovation cultures. Workshops to co-design inspirational future scenarios for the city of Arles and the Camargues bioregion. Critical analysis and keynote during the Luma Days. Prospective topics: Future of cultural institutions, collaborative economy and resilient innovation, inclusion and social innovation, new rurality, sustainable tourism, hospitality, culture and agriculture synergies, campus-city, 21st century factory-city, Unesco 3.0 city, neo-nomadism and the Global Village.
IHEST (Institut des Hautes Etudes en Sciences et Technologies), 2016-18 > Collaborative Research
Preliminary future research, identification and mapping of key future challenges, and animation of two future research groups (profiles: top executives from the private and public sectors). Casting of guest experts and moderation of open-lab sessions. Group collaborative empowerment methodology for written and oral restitution (staged public round-table). Prospective topics: “Soft-power of fashion” (on both the local and global chessboard) and “Future of factories and fabrication” (3rd industrial revolutions and Industry 4.0).
Paris Galaxies x Sorbonne x (Grand) Paris 2030, 2008-ongoing > Creative Metropolis Scenarios and Strategies
Research about the future of the Greater Paris area in partnership with ACTE (Art, Creation, Theory, Aesthetics) Institute, Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne University, and the Paris 2030 research fund (City of Paris). Design of an analytical matrix and scenario projection methods at various horizons. Collaborative research workshops with partnering schools. Audit of the metropolis creative constellation and its levers for urban innovation. Academic, prospective and artistic conferences and publications, including the fiction design book “Paris Ars Universalis”. Site : parisgalaxies.net
CNRS 80 Year anniversary, 2018-19 > Strategic Scenarios, Transitions Challenges and Anthropological Turn
Future insights on contemporary world transformations (digital and environmental transitions, globalization, new innovation ecosystems and cultures, AI, anthropological redefinition, identity crisis, Art-Science frontier, etc.). Identification of CNRS and Science key future challenges. Design of strategic scenario prototypes based on key macro-trends and workshops to co-design a visionary strategy (event formats and content) for the institution’s 80 year anniversary (local, national and international reach).
Bouygues Real Estate, 2011-2018 > Future of Resilient Cities, Series of International Foresight Studies
Series of future trends books written with Peclers on the future of cities (ecology, mobility, well-being, technology, citizen life, creative and economic fertility, inclusion, branding and attractiveness, collective past and future imaginaries, etc.), of territorial and urban resilience (new sustainable development school declined in 4 dimensions: ecological, inclusive, collaborative and cultural), and of social, societal and urban innovations. Curation, casting and moderation of a round-table on the mobilization and power of new social and urban innovation networks.
WDHB (Premium Executive Education), 2019 > Co-Design of a Foresight and Content Offer
Insight about future research methods, formats and actors. Workshop to co-design new “foresight and content” learning programs for international corporations, and evaluate development potentials and synergies with the other Learning & Development programs.
Paris Galaxies Action Shooting Lab x Casa 93, 2017-18 > Photographic Experiment in the public space
Insights on the Greater Paris, the role of creative communities, the transformation of urban imaginaries and the ecology of attention. Series of performative photography workshops in the public space highlighting the building mechanisms of individual, collective and urban identities. Site : parisgalaxies.net
Institute For The Future, Palo Aalto, 2011-12 > Digital, Cultural and Philanthropic Economies
Insights on new economic models at the crossroads of profit and not-for-profit sectors. Experience sharing on the economy of culture. Critical and creative analysis via a series of conceptual diagrams elaborated between the workshops at IFTT and at Aalto University Design Management Dpt. See: iftf.org
Citynove / Galeries Lafayette group, 2017-18 > Cultural, Collaborative and Urban Innovation Lab
Insights on urban innovation and resilience. Collaborative research to amplify the cultural and urban innovation of the group (via its real-estate branch and the Lafayette Anticipation Foundation). Topics: historical renovation, art’s contribution, experience and space design, retail, place-making, sustainability, etc.
Wildbunch Film Distribution, 2018 > Socially Engaged and feminist Marketing Research
Open-lab sessions to rethink film promotion circuits and methods. Insights on urban innovation challenges, centrality issues, the role of cultural places (and movie theaters), and on possible synergies with social innovation, cultural and knowledge networks.
Green Chill Project, 2016 > urban innovation, and “conscious” life-style platform
Exposition du lab sur le futur du Grand Paris. Conceptions des thèmes des tables-rondes autour de la mode et du life-style “conscient”. Conception et modération d’un open-lab sur l’innovation verte, artistique et urbaine. Contribution à celle sur les nouvelles figures de l’engagement.
Aalto University, Helsinki, 2010-11 > Societal Innovation International Camp
Insights on the role of art and artists in societal innovation. Co-design of an international and trans-disciplinary societal innovation camp (8 day task force – 150 participants – 40 nationalities). Design of an exhibition kit to stage, share and discuss groups’ work. Topics: life-long learning, urban inclusion and transition, aging society and silver potential, knowledge economy paradigm, etc.
Soferim Real Estate, 2018-19 > Urban Project Design in an Era of Transitions
Contemporary world transformations masterclass at Palais de Tokyo in Paris (topics: Anthropocene and territorial resilience, digital transition, A.I. era, urban innovation, Creative City, role of art, patronage, etc.). Innovative project co-design workshops (Reinventing the Metropolis program).
Cape and Cape, 2013-14 > Multi-cultural Brand Creation and design research
Recherche sur l’émergence de nouveaux imaginaires africains et afro-européens pour la création d’une marque alimentaire franco-africaine. Design de scénarios stratégiques s’appuyant sur les tendances. Recherche design de concept-store, palette d’offre, story-telling et collab artistiques.
Athem-Skerzo (urban events), 2015-16 >Creative City and Future Strategy
Research on the rise of new African and Afro-European imaginaries to create a new French-African brand of food & hot drinks. Design of 4 possible future strategic scenarios echoing societal trends and including concept-stores, original product and event offers, storytelling and African artistic collaborations.
LABs 360°
LABs Territories
LABs Organizations
LAB Greater Paris
Tales Magazine, 2009-11 > Editorial Direction, Creative Community and Platform
Editorial direction of the Vision section (art, architecture, ideas, literature) of online publication Tales Magazine (8 quarterly issues – in French-English). Mobilization of a community of contributors. Design of a creative platform strategy and innovative partnership models.
Bouygues Construction, 2013-14 > Future of Campuses International Study
Co-design and writing with Peclers of an in-depth study of the future of campuses (weak signals methodology). Topics: new approaches to and spaces for pedagogy, universities’ national and international positioning, innovation ecosystems, inclusion in territorial dynamics, Y and Z generations’ well-being, etc.
Neoma Business School, 2012-16 Ateliers audit esthétique des organisations
Pédagogie sur l’économie de l’immatériel, l’économie créative et la responsabilité sociale des organisations. Série d’atelier d’expérimentation de la méthode d’audit esthétique du LIID pour identifier des potentiels de réinvention et concevoir des stratégies d’innovation ou de communication responsable.
Neoma x Paris Galaxies, 2013-17 > Art-based urban project design Lab
Series of workshops with Art Management Master international students to co-design art projects (curatorial program, economic and urban strategy) for sites in transformation (train station, campus, historical industrial warehouse, etc.). Series of open-lab with local stakeholders.
Price Waterhouse Cooper, Luxemburg, 2010 > Social and Environmental Responsibility research
Insights and collaborative research on new wider visions of the social and environmental responsibility of private and public corporations. Design of a conceptual map. Insights and open-lab on the meaning and model of “companies dedicated to art”.
Architecture Faculty and City of Montevideo, Uruguay, 2013-14 > Strategy to Create an Art District
Future insight on the Creative City, urban and social innovation, and digital transition. Mobilization of a local creative community to set-up an Art District. Project design workshops to activate it. Staged open-lab with a pool of potential partners. Project international partner and online space: arte-sur.org
Lexus Cars x Style Vision, 2007 > Multicultural Aesthetic and design Research Lab
Design of an image-based research methodology to explore the European sensibility and value-system, and improve the perception of Japanese luxury codes. Series of workshops and interviews to provide Japanese designers with constructive feedback. Recommendation of design principles.
Grand Paris Aménagement (Planning), 2016 > Creative and Collaborative Innovation Lab
Insights on societal and urban trends (creative and collaborative spaces, innovation ecosystems, creative city, role of art). Series of workshops to program and co-design the common areas in the new head-quarter, in synergy with the group’s artistic, social and associative engagements.
Polygon x Semiospace, 2010-Ongoing > Collaborative Research Methods and Spaces
Design of “polygonal” (multifaceted) research methods and spaces (work-station, performative installation or conference, mood-board, collaborative diagram, workshop direction, round-table, etc.). Experimentation during exhibitions at Apex Art, NY, Espace d’En Bas, Paris, Corner College, Zurich and Forde gallery, Geneva.
New Eldorado / Mesopolis Lab, 2012-present > Creation of an Artistic, Urban and Ecosophical Utopia
Design of an ecosophical (Guattari) and resilient territorial utopia, inspired by a trip in Iran and evolving into something more fictional. Photography, diagrams, installation and workshops at Atelier Martel Architecture, Paris, 2013. Fiction Design conference, Art & Sciences chair, Polytechnique, ENSAD, 2019.
Center for Molecular Medicine, Stockholm, 2006 > Aesthetic audit and Design of a Future Strategy
Research residency aiming to identify the levers for creative reinvention of the laboratory (300 elite international researchers). Exploratory workshops on the future of the laboratory, drugs and medicine, the input of art and the relationship between science and society. Design of a strategic future scenario and keynote.
Paris 1 Sorbonne University, CNAM, La Villette Architecture School, 2014-15 > 150 yrs scenarios Design Camp
Co-design of future scenarios (horizon 2165) with 25 Master and PhD students. Design of a collaborative installation and staging of the group’s work. Design of an image-based research methodology. Series of open-lab sessions with future experts and scientific journalists. See: grandparisfuturlab.org
Paris South University x Cigref, 2009 > Y Generation and the Digital Economy
Series of research workshops on the digital era and the rise of the “digital natives”, the Y Generation, and their relation to work, time and the world. Research on the impact on organizational models and the separation of private and professional spheres. Design of a conceptual map overview.
Science-Po School x DATAR, 2010-11 > Creative Territories Research Program
Contribution to the research program on the challenges and new models of “Creative Territories” developed by Science-Po director, Frederic Gilli, for the DATAR State planning agency. Insights on the contribution of art and art-based research to territorial innovation. Publication of an article on metropolitiques.eu.
Chanel Cosmetics x E-Mergences, 2004 > Disruptive Uses and Narratives Design Lab
Creative and collaborative research (with E-Mergence agency) to design a palette of new applications, user experiences, vocabulary and strategies for cosmetics. Deepening of one disruptive strategy inspired by art, at the edge of emerging trends.
Campus Fonderie de l’Image x Paris Galaxies, 2015 > Collaborative Map and Platform Design
Series of UX and UI design research workshops (with designer Sylvia Fredriksson’s students) to create a collaborative online map and platform, to federate and empower the 300 places of the Greater Paris artistic constellation while supporting the metropolization process. Site : parisgalaxies.net
PIIMS x Republic of Images, 1999-Ongoing > Image value and fiction Design of a data-spheric universe
Creation of image banks, photographic installations, photomontages and critical methodologies to interpret and value images and the city, exhibited or published (see rbidaultwaddington.net). Narration of a photo-based fictional world questioning the digital era, the data-sphere and green global governances.
Tong Ji University x Shanghai World Expo, 2005-10 > Design of a World Expo Strategy
Co-design with Dr Zhang Kai of an urban program and planning scheme for Shanghai World Expo “Better City – Better Life”, including the creation of an urban lab (Urban Best Practice Area). Design of a strategic map. Photographic research, exhibition (France Fiction gallery) and publication (La Tribune).
Goodwill Inc. x LIID, 2003 > Conceptual Art, organizational design and Knowledge Economy
Installation mapping of LIID’s (Laboratoire d’Ingénierie d’IDées / Idea Engineering Lab) artistic and collaborative research ecosystem at the crossroad of conceptual art, immaterial economy, art and intelligence, and the aesthetics of organizations. Group show on the artist-entrepreneur model at Contemporary Art Center, Meymac, France.
Paris College of Art x Paris Galaxies, 2012-15 > Creative Leadership and Urban Design Programs
Design and direction of the Creative Leadership program. Series of workshops about the future of the Greater Paris including ethno-sociological and photographic field exploration. Research on the model of artistic places and collaborative platform models (including the economic view). See: parisgalaxies.net
Machination, 2015-Ongoing > Art-Science-Fiction Lab
Series of open-labs (Corner College, Zurich), conferences (Science & Fiction seminar, Paris 8 University, Second Fictions Symposium, Paris 1 University) and a text + images publication (d-fiction.fr), using LIID’s experiments to explore fictions and fictions embedded in fictions, as performative instruments.
Christiania, Copenhagen, 2003-07 > Scenarios for the Self-organized Community
Aesthetic audit of the self-organized neighborhood of Copenhagen to identify the levers and potential of its creative reinvention (published in 2006 in Knowledge Cities). Photographic research. Design of a future strategy in a governmental competition (3rd prize). Exhibition at Over Gaden Art Center. Publication of a critical future scenario (horizon 2030), France Fiction review.
Paris East University x Air de Paris, 2003 > Aesthetic Audit Prototype
Design of an aesthetic audit methodology to identify the intangible assets of organizations as a source of creative and sustainable reinvention. Prototype testing on Air de Paris gallery and company, resulting in a double diagram. Presentation of the method as an Immaterial Economy Master thesis.
6B, St Denis x PCA x Paris Galaxies, 2014-15 > Collaborative and Economic Models Design.
Series of workshops with the students of Design Management at Paris College of Art. Research of a socio-cultural innovative program, sustainable economic model and future strategy for the 6B, the self-organized art residency created by Julien Beller in St Denis. See: parisgalaxies.net