Possible Reality

The exhibition “Possible Reality: The Wisdom of Disappearing Nature” is a visual philosophical essay. The scenario of a “possible future” presents the consequences of social choices in the face of an innovative method enabling communication with beings of other species.

The exhibition premiered at the Gdynia Design Days 2022 festival. Its initial form was inspired by a speculative design challenge implemented as part of the WUD Silesia conference. A dedicated community of design and User Experience researchers from across Poland developed concepts for products, services, and cultural and artistic initiatives that would incorporate the perspective of non-human beings. Based on the assumption that technology exists that enables interspecies communication, representatives of endangered animal species in Poland – the Harbour Porpoise, the Tatra Chamois, the Snipe, the Aesculapian Snake, the European Dormouse, and the Tern – joined the design teams. More than a dozen original concepts were created.

Selected finalist projects, developed by a curatorial team associated with WUD Silesia and the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, were presented as artistic installations during the GDD 2022 festival, where they generated enormous interest.

A new version of the exhibition was presented at Rondo Sztuki in Katowice in January 2023. The proposed narrative and speculative objects told a far-reaching story of the world’s fate after the invention of innovative interspecies communication technology. The interactive nature of the exhibition allowed for simulations of contact with non-human beings, and the story immersed viewers in the increasingly complex and challenging fate of interspecies society. The presented vision, while not optimistic, did not leave a sense of hopelessness. The exhibition path opened new threads and spaces for questions about what is worth taking action on today, in our current reality, to positively influence possible future realities.

The event included regular curatorial meetings, workshops, and introductory sessions on ecopsychology, ecopoetics, and speculative design.

The exhibition was nominated for the Śląska Rzecz 2023 award, presented annually by Cieszyn Castle.