The Failure Of The Future

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

Building Utopias

20240116

20240617 (R4)

For decades, artists, scientists and philosophers have dreamed up utopias that aim to transform the way we live. But why did they not become the future we are living in today? Is there something in those “what-might-have-beens ? that's worth returning to?

Writer and artist Johny Pitts explores a series of failed visions of the future. But rather than discarding them with the sands of time, he asks what we can learn from those past projections. And might the rubble of these forgotten worlds contain gems that could propel us towards a brighter tomorrow?

For Johny, there was a time when he felt he was living inside the future - 1980s Japan. From flying cars to floating cities, Japan seemed to be mapping out an advanced reality that could shape the future that the rest of the world might live in. And yet, that didn't come to fruition. Across four episodes, Johny picks four key aspects of that alluring era - times of supreme innovation - when a new path was being carved out. Which ideas inside these imagined futures might be worth resurrecting?

In Episode 1, recorded before the earthquake in Japan on 1st January 2024, Johny reviews the idealistic plans of Japanese urban planner Kenzo Tange and the architects he collaborated with who were known as The Metabolists. They set out to create a blueprint for global cities and their work rescued entire cities from total devastation. By reviewing their goal of creating a blueprint for all global cities, Johny asks whether aspects of their forward-thinking ideas are worth harvesting for our own future.

Presenter: Johny Pitts

Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma

Mix Engineer: Nigel Appleton

Executive Producer: Phil Smith

A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4

Johny Pitts looks back at visions of utopias that failed to see if we can build a brighter future from past projections. In Episode 1, he revisits Japan's futuristic cityscapes.

The Economic Dreamland

20240123

20240624 (R4)

For decades, artists and scientists have dreamed up utopias that aim to reform the way we live. But why did they not become the future we are living in today? Is there something in those “what-might-have-beens ? that's worth returning to?

Writer and artist Johny Pitts explores a series of failed visions of the future. But rather than discarding them with the sands of time, he asks what we can learn from those past projections. And might elements of these forgotten worlds propel us towards a brighter tomorrow?

For Johny, there was a time when he felt he was living inside the future. Between 1950 and 1990, Japan was a time of great prosperity, innovation and invention. The nation seemed to be mapping out an advanced reality that could shape the future that the rest of the world might live in. And yet, that didn't come to fruition.

Across four episodes, Johny asks which ideas inside these imagined futures might be worth resurrecting. In Episode 2, recorded before the earthquake in Japan on 1st January 2024, Johny looks at the explosive bubble economy era of the 1980s. He investigates how postwar Japan transformed into a society with a booming economy, happy workers and great inventions that we still love today. But was everything as shiny as it seemed from the outsider's perspective? What made the bubble era come crashing down and what we can learn from its collapse?

Presenter: Johny Pitts

Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma

Mix Engineer: Nigel Appleton

Executive Producer: Phil Smith

A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4

Johny Pitts looks back at visions of utopias that failed to see if we can build a brighter future from past projections. In Episode 2, he looks at Japan's explosive bubble economy.

In the second episode of this four-part series, Johny considers what our future workplaces and creative practices might take from the explosive “bubble economy ? era of 1980s Japan - a time of happy workers, booming industry, and pioneering inventions that we still love today. But was everything really as shiny as it seemed? What made the bubble era come crashing down and what can we learn from its collapse?

Johny Pitts looks back at visions of failed utopias to see if we might build a brighter future from past projections. He examines the bubble economy of ‘80s Japan.

Mirai No Haikyo

20240130

20240701 (R4)

What can visions of the future which never came to pass tell us about our own present?

Writer and artist Johny Pitts explores a series of failed visions of the future. But rather than discarding them with the sands of time, he asks what we can learn from those past projections. And might elements of these forgotten worlds propel us towards a brighter tomorrow?

In this third episode, Johny zooms in on how Japanese artists had begun to carve out alternative visions of the future after living through a period of tumultuous change. Creators in post-war Japan had their hopes of utopias destroyed after witnessing the meteoric rise of the bubble era and the subsequent economic crash. They summed up what was left as 'mirai no haikyo' meaning 'ruins of the future'. In response, Japanese artists were motivated to steer society towards new ideas for what the future could be. Might their imaginations of how to overcome times of hardship be useful to us today?

Presenter: Johny Pitts

Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma

Mix Engineer: Andy Fell

Executive Producer: Phil Smith

A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4

Johny Pitts looks back at visions of utopias that failed to see if we can build a brighter future from past projections. In this episode, futuristic visions for the arts.

A Promise Of Peace

20240206

20240708 (R4)

Writer and artist Johny Pitts explores a series of failed visions of the future. But rather than discarding them with the sands of time, he asks what we can learn from those past projections. And might elements of these forgotten worlds propel us towards a brighter tomorrow?

In this final episode, Johny examines Japan's plans for a peaceful world. In the horrific aftermath of the nuclear bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan began to lead on international discussions for nuclear disarmament. It sent reverberations around the world as Japan shaped their policy around problem-solving and collaboration. For a moment in time, global society was on the cusp of progress - and yet today, decades later, we are no closer to a peaceful solution. Are there elements of the optimism of that era which would help us map out policies for peace today? And do we need to fundamentally reimagine what peace might look like for our present world?

Presenter: Johny Pitts

Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma

Mix Engineer: Nigel Appleton

Executive Producer: Phil Smith

A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4

Johny Pitts looks back at visions of utopias that failed to see if we can build a brighter future from past projections.

In this final episode, Johny examines Japan's plans for a peaceful world. In the horrific aftermath of the nuclear bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan adopted a new model around disarmament and peace-building which sent reverberations around the world. For a moment in time, global society seemed to be on the cusp of progress. Are there learnings from that era which would help us map out policies for peace today? Or do we need to fundamentally reimagine what peace might look like for our present world?

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	Building Utopias	20240116	20240617 (R4)	For decades, artists, scientists and philosophers have dreamed up utopias that aim to transform the way we live. But why did they not become the future we are living in today? Is there something in those “what-might-have-beens ? that's worth returning to? Writer and artist Johny Pitts explores a series of failed visions of the future. But rather than discarding them with the sands of time, he asks what we can learn from those past projections. And might the rubble of these forgotten worlds contain gems that could propel us towards a brighter tomorrow? For Johny, there was a time when he felt he was living inside the future - 1980s Japan. From flying cars to floating cities, Japan seemed to be mapping out an advanced reality that could shape the future that the rest of the world might live in. And yet, that didn't come to fruition. Across four episodes, Johny picks four key aspects of that alluring era - times of supreme innovation - when a new path was being carved out. Which ideas inside these imagined futures might be worth resurrecting? In Episode 1, recorded before the earthquake in Japan on 1st January 2024, Johny reviews the idealistic plans of Japanese urban planner Kenzo Tange and the architects he collaborated with who were known as The Metabolists. They set out to create a blueprint for global cities and their work rescued entire cities from total devastation. By reviewing their goal of creating a blueprint for all global cities, Johny asks whether aspects of their forward-thinking ideas are worth harvesting for our own future. Presenter: Johny Pitts Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma Mix Engineer: Nigel Appleton Executive Producer: Phil Smith A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4 Johny Pitts looks back at visions of utopias that failed to see if we can build a brighter future from past projections. In Episode 1, he revisits Japan's futuristic cityscapes.
02	The Economic Dreamland	20240123	20240624 (R4)	For decades, artists and scientists have dreamed up utopias that aim to reform the way we live. But why did they not become the future we are living in today? Is there something in those “what-might-have-beens ? that's worth returning to? Writer and artist Johny Pitts explores a series of failed visions of the future. But rather than discarding them with the sands of time, he asks what we can learn from those past projections. And might elements of these forgotten worlds propel us towards a brighter tomorrow? For Johny, there was a time when he felt he was living inside the future. Between 1950 and 1990, Japan was a time of great prosperity, innovation and invention. The nation seemed to be mapping out an advanced reality that could shape the future that the rest of the world might live in. And yet, that didn't come to fruition. Across four episodes, Johny asks which ideas inside these imagined futures might be worth resurrecting. In Episode 2, recorded before the earthquake in Japan on 1st January 2024, Johny looks at the explosive bubble economy era of the 1980s. He investigates how postwar Japan transformed into a society with a booming economy, happy workers and great inventions that we still love today. But was everything as shiny as it seemed from the outsider's perspective? What made the bubble era come crashing down and what we can learn from its collapse? Presenter: Johny Pitts Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma Mix Engineer: Nigel Appleton Executive Producer: Phil Smith A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4 Johny Pitts looks back at visions of utopias that failed to see if we can build a brighter future from past projections. In Episode 2, he looks at Japan's explosive bubble economy. In the second episode of this four-part series, Johny considers what our future workplaces and creative practices might take from the explosive “bubble economy ? era of 1980s Japan - a time of happy workers, booming industry, and pioneering inventions that we still love today. But was everything really as shiny as it seemed? What made the bubble era come crashing down and what can we learn from its collapse? Johny Pitts looks back at visions of failed utopias to see if we might build a brighter future from past projections. He examines the bubble economy of ‘80s Japan.
03	Mirai No Haikyo	20240130	20240701 (R4)	What can visions of the future which never came to pass tell us about our own present? For decades, artists and scientists have dreamed up utopias that aim to reform the way we live. But why did they not become the future we are living in today? Is there something in those “what-might-have-beens ? that's worth returning to? Writer and artist Johny Pitts explores a series of failed visions of the future. But rather than discarding them with the sands of time, he asks what we can learn from those past projections. And might elements of these forgotten worlds propel us towards a brighter tomorrow? For Johny, there was a time when he felt he was living inside the future. Between 1950 and 1990, Japan was a time of great prosperity, innovation and invention. The nation seemed to be mapping out an advanced reality that could shape the future that the rest of the world might live in. And yet, that didn't come to fruition. In this third episode, Johny zooms in on how Japanese artists had begun to carve out alternative visions of the future after living through a period of tumultuous change. Creators in post-war Japan had their hopes of utopias destroyed after witnessing the meteoric rise of the bubble era and the subsequent economic crash. They summed up what was left as 'mirai no haikyo' meaning 'ruins of the future'. In response, Japanese artists were motivated to steer society towards new ideas for what the future could be. Might their imaginations of how to overcome times of hardship be useful to us today? Presenter: Johny Pitts Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma Mix Engineer: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Phil Smith A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4 Johny Pitts looks back at visions of utopias that failed to see if we can build a brighter future from past projections. In this episode, futuristic visions for the arts.
04	A Promise Of Peace	20240206	20240708 (R4)	For decades, artists and scientists have dreamed up utopias that aim to reform the way we live. But why did they not become the future we are living in today? Is there something in those “what-might-have-beens ? that's worth returning to? Writer and artist Johny Pitts explores a series of failed visions of the future. But rather than discarding them with the sands of time, he asks what we can learn from those past projections. And might elements of these forgotten worlds propel us towards a brighter tomorrow? For Johny, there was a time when he felt he was living inside the future. Between 1950 and 1990, Japan was a time of great prosperity, innovation and invention. The nation seemed to be mapping out an advanced reality that could shape the future that the rest of the world might live in. And yet, that didn't come to fruition. In this final episode, Johny examines Japan's plans for a peaceful world. In the horrific aftermath of the nuclear bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan began to lead on international discussions for nuclear disarmament. It sent reverberations around the world as Japan shaped their policy around problem-solving and collaboration. For a moment in time, global society was on the cusp of progress - and yet today, decades later, we are no closer to a peaceful solution. Are there elements of the optimism of that era which would help us map out policies for peace today? And do we need to fundamentally reimagine what peace might look like for our present world? Presenter: Johny Pitts Producer and sound design: Anishka Sharma Mix Engineer: Nigel Appleton Executive Producer: Phil Smith A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4 Johny Pitts looks back at visions of utopias that failed to see if we can build a brighter future from past projections. In this final episode, Johny examines Japan's plans for a peaceful world. In the horrific aftermath of the nuclear bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan adopted a new model around disarmament and peace-building which sent reverberations around the world. For a moment in time, global society seemed to be on the cusp of progress. Are there learnings from that era which would help us map out policies for peace today? Or do we need to fundamentally reimagine what peace might look like for our present world? For decades, artists and scientists have dreamed up utopias that aim to reform the way we live. But why did they not become the future we are living in today? Is there something in those “what-might-have-beens ? that's worth returning to?