Speculative and science fiction comes from the human impulse to imagine beyond the present, to test our fears and desires by placing them in alternate worlds. These imagined futures often seem bleak or cautionary, but they are built from fundamental questions about who we are and who we might become.
This book is an archive of those visions, assembled to remember what is often overlooked within speculated worlds: the persistence of humanity itself. Organized along an arc of human development (emergence, constructs, descent, and afterlight), the works unfold in a sequence that allows the reader to move through stages of exploration, hope, and doubt, gradually landing on what remains.
In this book are excerpts, quotes, film scripts, and stills from the works of various authors and directors, all of which I love deeply.
Reflections
After so many hours of reading, note-taking, and film-watching, making this book felt more like falling down a very long sci-fi rabbit hole than a design project. (not mad about that at all!)
The biggest hurdle of this process was figuring out a clear creative direction and landing on a tone that can tie together so many distinct voices. Throughout this process, I learned to put down ideas I don't necessarily love and lay out my explorations in ways that help me make creative decisions more easily.
If I had more time, I'd expand on the archive by adding more works to each section, especially by lesser-known authors to see how these themes stretch across a wider variety of contexts. If I had just a little more time, I'd watch even more sci-fi movies :]
Read about my full process here ↗
