This week, Creative Time Lab had the pleasure of sharing our work at Ashoka University, India, where our co-founder Dr. Anna Sircova was invited to present by Prof. Nandini Chatterjee Singh.
Anna introduced students, faculty, and other curious minds to our ongoing research on how people imagine their personal and global futures — and why these perceptions matter for agency, well-being, and collective action.
Drawing on the insights from Denmark, the United States, China, and India — along with recent findings from our immersive installation “The Space of Futurization,” created in France with support of the Fondation APRIL — the presentation sparked a rich dialogue about imagination, time, culture, and emotion.
Across contexts, we continue to observe a striking pattern:
🔹 People perceive their personal future as brighter, more controllable, and full of possibility
🔹 The global future, however, is often seen as dark, uncertain, and even threatening
At Ashoka, this led to thoughtful reflections on cultural concepts of time (linear vs. circular), the influence of “ready-made images” on future thinking, and the growing emotional burden carried by younger generations. The conversation also ventured into music and the design of spaces where people can safely process emotions about the future.
We were especially excited to discuss how The Space of Futurization functions as a living lab — a participatory environment where people express future-related feelings, co-create meaning, and often rediscover hope through shared experience. Several participants at Ashoka wondered if a permanent campus installation could be possible — an idea we would love to explore further.
A warm thank you to Prof. Nandini Chatterjee Singh for hosting us and fostering such a generative exchange. The curiosity and openness of the Ashoka community left us inspired — and more committed than ever to creating spaces where imagination, dialogue, and radical hope can flourish.
🌱 Creative Time Lab at Ashoka University: Multiple Futures & Radical Hope
