How does the world look in 2040? What changes and expectations are in store? In an inspiring, challenging and bold podcast series we’re pointing the light to the future ahead. Together with eight thought leaders, innovative speakers and clever thinkers, we’re disseminating eight different subjects sharing the future’s innate hopes, dreams, challenges, potentials and possibilities.
Think of it as a thought experiment. A utopia or maybe even a nirvana? Listen to the podcasts below, let your mind wander and immerse yourself in the next twenty years of eternal life, curious explorations, the value of beauty and much more.
Enjoy.
Stefan Sagmeister is a graphic designer and typographer based out of New York City. He is the cofounder of the design company Sagmeister & Walsh Inc. and has designed album covers for The Rolling Stones, David Byrne, Jay-Z and Lou Reed and remains dedicated in his work to the music industry. With Sagmeister & Walsh, Stefan is currently engaged in “The Beauty Project”, in which he investigates why people are attracted to beauty and what positive effects beauty can have on our well-being and behaviour. A topic he explores further in this intriguing episode of beauty in the next 20 years.
Aubrey de Grey is an English biomedical gerontologist and chief science officer of the SENS Research Foundation. He is best known for his view that medical technology can enable humans alive today not to die from age related causes. He argues that the fundamental knowledge to achieve this goal already exists and that science is way ahead of the funding.
His work at the SENS Research Foundation is committed to exploring "works to develop, promote and ensure widespread access to regenerative medicine solutions to the disabilities and diseases of ageing.” In 2008 he claimed that the first human to live 1000 years was probably already alive and might even be between 50 and 60 years old already.
Martin is a Danish brand consultant and author behind many books that delve into the mind of the consumer. Throughout marketing history, studies have identified seven Points of Market Entry. Interestingly, Covid-19 has introduced an “8th entry point,” a change so profound that it will impact every sector via a global synchronisation of human behaviour. It will establish a completely new, universal language and change of consumer patterns. Lindstrom calls it the “8EP.”
In this episode, Lindstrøm shares his thought-provoking insight into the subconscious mind of the consumer. Join along and be prepared for change.
Louise Opprud has worked for the ministry of foreign affairs for 8,5 years in Palo Alto in California as creative director of its Innovation Lab. Today she leads the company New Ways of Working and is a part of think tank DareDisrupt. In her work she is focused on how artificial intelligence and automation will influence the workspace in the coming years, and together with businesses she tries to answer the questions of how to stay relevant in the next 20 years. Louise is currently writing on a book together with Preben Mejer about the mindset and demands of the 21st century. A topic she explores in this exact episode.
Listen when she invites us all on a journey through the demands, possibilities, ideas and potentials of both the workspace and private sphere in the coming 20 years.
David Zilber, Director of fermentation and author
David Zilber, Director of fermentation and author
David Zilber started as an intern as chef. First, in his hometown Toronto, then Vancouver before landing a job at the iconic Danish restaurant, Noma in 2014. Now, David is director of fermentation at Noma, pushing fermentation to the limits of what is possible. One delicious dish at the time.
In this episode Zilber explores what the future of restaurants could look like, debating: “if we’re to have some workable concept in the next 20 years of how to feed people who are too time strained to feed themselves, who either want or need someone else to cook them a delicious, nutritious meal, restaurants as they’re currently defined cannot be what they are today.”
Join along, when David Zilber explores how we eat and dine in the next 20 years. Take a seat and listen to the future of restaurants. Beginning with no restaurants at all.
Christian Groes, Anthropologist
Christian Groes, Anthropologist
Christian is an anthropologist and gender studies researcher at the University of Roskilde. He has specialised himself in gender, sexuality, sexual transactions, sexual capital and female erotic power, and has conducted field studies in the capital of Mozambique, Maputo on safe sex and HIV preventive care, while he later did research on how immigrant women from Mozambique migrate as a mistress of European men, and the relationship between migrating women. Recently he has researched human trafficking, prostitution and sugar dating in a Danish context.
In this episode he explores the future of relationships, connections and sexuality.
Tor Nørretranders
Tor Nørretranders
Tor Nørretranders is the author of numerous books on topics ranging from faith and consciousness to modern civilization. His breakthrough as an author came in 1991 with the book ‘The User Illusion: Cutting Consciousness Down to Size’ challenging perceived beliefs on consciousness and information. He has worked at several of the major Danish newspapers such as ‘Weekendavisen’ and ‘Information’ and was the editor at the Danish national radio DR’s scientific radio show ‘Hvælv’ in the late eighties.
Listen to the full episode below and explore the scale of resonance in society 20 years from now.
James Ludwig, VP for Global Design and Product Engineering
James Ludwig, VP for Global Design and Product Engineering
James Ludwig is VP, Global Design and Product Engineering at Steelcase Inc. James has been at Steelcase since 1999 and was named director of design shortly after in 2000. Before joining Steelcase he was a founding partner of bold:architects.desginers, a design consultancy firm based in Berlin. His time in Berlin that coincided with the time around the takedown of the Berlin Wall crystallised the way that James works and thinks with architecture and design to this day.
Listen to James Ludwig explore the creative and professional workspaces of 2040.