Indofuturism - a cultural zeitgeist staying in its infancy. a critical look at the maturity of the cultural movement driven by contemporary creators, artists and designers

Abstract

When considering disciplines such as speculative design, future research, design fiction, and such, it is necessary to remember the role of past and present in future building. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in using futurism as a tool to imagine and re-imagine a collective past, present, and future as a response to environmental, social and political challenges. This has given rise to the popularity of indigenous futurism worldwide. An example is Afrofuturism which is now a well established movement in art, literature, film, and design. Afrofuturism builds a story of an alternate future that is non-west centric, based on ancient indigenous values, cultural identity, and is in response to local environmental concerns, while incorporating elements of black history and culture. As a response to the past events of decolonization, and present challenges, and as a tool to celebrate their own cultures with agency, a visual language and literary tool has developed in the Indian Subcontinent. Similar to Afrofuturism, Indofuturism attempts to embody a synthesis of ancient wisdom and contemporary innovation, drawing inspiration from the profound spiritual heritage as well as artistic expressions, and technological symbols. Sometimes it manifests as a future where traditional values coexist harmoniously with cutting-edge technologies, other times a reflection of a preferred past into an alternative future. Although Indofuturism remains in its infancy compared to Afrofuturism, this study aims to understand its unique cultural foundation and examine the factors that could enable it to flourish as a recognized design language and enable designers and researchers to forecast its path in society.