The Future Machine is a witness. It is a large octagon on wheels made of ash, oak, steel, brass and copper, with a hand crank, lever, dials and a slot where personalised ‘future quests’ are printed on cards for people to take away. The appearance of this mysterious artwork in five places across England, at the same times every year until 2050 bestows what may be termed a mythical status on these moments and places.
The Future Machine appears in Christ Church Gardens in Nottingham when the trees blossom, at the River Leven in Cumbria when summer ends, in Rotherfield Peppard in Oxfordshire when the harbingers of spring mark the end of winter, in Cannington and Kilve in Somerset when the newly planted trees have abundant green leaves, and Finsbury Park in London when the autumn leaves fall. The Future Machine is due to appear every year for the next 30 years. Newly formed rituals or special occasions emerge from its appearance.
Future Machine collects messages for the future from the people who gather around it, prints out a story for people to take away with them, ‘a future quest’ to help people think about the future and plays the messages left by people in the past, and music that changes depending on the weather.
Future Machine is created by Rachel Jacobs in collaboration with carpenter Ian Jones, engineer Matt Little, creative programmer Robin Shackford, computer scientist Dominic Price, climate scientist Prof John King, artists Frank Abbott, Juliet Robson, Wallace Heim, Caroline Locke, Esi Eshun, musicians Alexandre Yemaoua Dayo and David Kemp, with participants in public workshops, researchers from the Horizon Digital Economy and the Mixed Reality Lab, University of Nottingham and Prof Esther Eidinow, Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Bristol.
Future Machine is funded with support from National Lottery Project Funding from the Arts Council of England and Horizon Digital Economy, University of Nottingham (ESPRC/RCUK).