Our Pasts, Presents and Futures…in the plural

“Technology is not neutral. We're inside of what we make, and it's inside of us. We're living in a world of connections—and it matters which ones get made and unmade.”

As we prepare to gather together in August—nearly 40 years after Donna Haraway wrote this prescient line in “A Cyborg Manifesto”—we’re staying with the trouble.

This year’s program looks for insights into our uncertain present by looking both backwards and forwards, with hindsight and foresight. What knots in our histories do we need to disentangle? What future relationships do we need to re-weave? Who and what is missing from the connections we make and unmake with our systems and technologies?

See the 2024 program, sign up for The Conference newsletter to stay tuned as we unfurl two-and-a-half days of experiences curated to inspire, inform, and instigate.

THE EXPERIENCE

The Conference is a boutique conference on futures and foresight in Malmö, Sweden. Over two-and-a-half days, a thousand curious minds from all over the world meet to delve into the promises and pitfalls of human-machine-nature-and-more relationships. Guided by weavers, builders, visionaries, caregivers, and creative leaders from across disciplines, we sift through complexity and make connections across our analog and digital worlds.

It's two days of porous space and entangled content, curated so that people connect and practices intersect. We want folks to walk away inspired to get in right relationship with ourselves, each other, our technologies and the planet (and beyond!).

The SPEAKERS, the Program

In 2024, we invited 35 presenters and artists from Malmö and globally, representing a wide range of disciplines.

The Conference 2024 presenters

The Conference 2024 program—including educational side events.

On The Conference stage you can expect to find anything from brain scientists and activists to design experts, chefs and artists who will cover topics like AI, boredom, architecture and outer space. The experience is like going to your favorite arts museum, dinner at a professor's house, and a business retreat with your best friend, all wrapped up in a down-to-earth format.

The Community

The Conference-goers represent a wide range of industries and expertise. They’re a mix of communicators, creatives and executives with a common interest in systems, digital practices and how the world works—and how the world could work better. There are product developers, architects, publishers, designers, culture workers, corporate and public executives, librarians, organisers, researchers and a whole lot more. The diversity of The Conference crowd is what makes for interesting conversations and exciting collaborations—with peers and peers-to-be, alike. But don’t take our word for it, see what others have to say.

watch all talks from The Conference 2024