Brief: using scenario methods to design one or more storyworlds that can be used for a physical narrative and possibly a prehearsal (or the combination of both); the physical narrative should be light and portable, to be used in a hotel room and an exhibition in Austria and Cluj in September and October, and possibly in Belgium in the autumn. This all sounds easy enough, until the second part of the brief is introduced: the process should be akin to lucid dreaming…

lucid dreaming: awareness of the fact that you’re dreaming

• first thing to do is to broaden your awareness even before you fall asleep
• asleep, dreaming - becoming aware of dreaming, observing it as it comes, without interfering
• gradually if you want to you can begin to steer it.
• make your own reality

translation into the scenario process

• opening the process to different ways of knowing - pre-rational, somatic, interpersonal, emergent…
• non-predictive methods: KPU-framework, used to structure thinking about the present and Causal Layered Analysis, designed to probe into deeper cultural and mythological origins of scenarios
• interspersed with processes from improvisation, creative writing, surrealism and other techniques not usually associated with a futures exercise

for participants:

• the methods used shouldn’t really matter. you also don’t have to know exactly what happens next: as in dreams, go with the flow and try to be as open as possible.
• today is less about 'understanding exactly what’s going on' and more about trusting your gut feelings and unconscious mind * letting ideas flow from you and through you - try not to block anything that comes to mind. do not worry about anything seeming silly, stupid, or unrelated - nothing you do or say today can fall into those categories.
• if something feels uncomfortable or makes you insecure, try letting go of these feelings and approach every exercise with curiosity - “the beginners’ mind”; if it doesn’t work after a while, feel free to step out and take some distance for a while, then come back…
• let your mind loose and watch your inhibitions melt away
• trust yourself, trust the people around you, trust the process

Process: scenario_building_as_lucid_dreaming

• Cobblers
• Humans x2
• Survivors (of whatever happened)
• Synthesized, gelatinous xray jellyfish
• Ants
• The Owl People

• Shapeshifters
• Survivers of the various events
• Small groups
• Moving on, Nomadic
• Curious
• Skinny
• Vain
• Addicted to continuous medical treatment & cleaning
• Sparkly
• Dreamy
• Tactile
• Obsessive
• Brown
• Tall x2
• Clean
• Smelling of Roses&Mint
• Colourful
• Agile, twitchy with access to boathooks
• Tolerant & respectful

• Imbibe, sleep, drink, doze
• Drinking cocktails in the sunset
• Flying dragonflies, drinking gin, hiding in hornets nest
• Live & have fun
• Sleep a lot, hike, produce gin
• Talk to each other
• Fix xray machines
• Climbing trees of shoes
• Make sugar out of anything they can find while drinking gin
• Look for things to talk about them
• Sleep while healing

• detectors to find things to talk about
• tools made by imagination: they manifest when needed & vanish when not needed
• vacuum mechanical tanks with suction devices to collect dust and finger plaster
• carefully crafted hand tools
• nanotech tools
• replicators and planned devices (can't make life though)
• crystal sets
• algae & mushrooms
• carefully crafted hand tools
• magnets
• needles
• gas burners
• gloves with extended fingers
• bag of spanners
• magic indistingushers (advanced tech)
• egg beaters
• self folding origami
• ratchets
• syncopators
• parts of tools (modular toolkits)
• photocopiers which act as 3D printers too: drawings and thoughts can be printed (brain-fab)

Problems include; Forced idleness due to shapeshifting, inability to use handcrafted tools with shifted hands, Origami Identities, Distractions, heirarchy (for Owls), boredom, past life issues, using tools, gradual loss of imagination, scavenging of raw materials, skinny, addictions, sustenance during sleep and healing.

Dreams and Hopes include; Loss of Vanity, Living the High Life, Shrinking, multiple identities, consistency (for shapeshifters), flights of fancy, riches of the past, tolerance, freedom, peace, cleaning, moving, swarm dreams (the ants), being able to hold conversations with tools (the ants)