The Lost Futures Exchange
– Reimagining a Future We Never Had

The Lost Futures Exchange is a speculative project that transforms memories, nostalgia, and what-could-have-beens into tangible conversations. Created during an Urban Dream Brokerage residency, the work invites the public to reflect on futures that were imagined, promised, or hoped for—but never came to pass.

The Concept

We all have lost futures—those ideas, plans, and dreams that slipped away or were derailed by circumstance. This project offers a space to exchange these futures, to share stories about what could have been, and to reflect on how the absence of those futures shapes who we are today.

Drawing inspiration from the Portuguese concept of saudade—a deep emotional state of nostalgic longing for something absent—The Lost Futures Exchange transforms the intangible into a shared dialogue. Visitors were encouraged to contribute their stories, engaging in a collective exploration of personal and cultural loss.

The Work

At its core, the project is a marketplace of ideas—a speculative exchange where visitors traded “lost futures.” The installation included interactive components, written fragments, and visual artefacts designed to evoke a sense of time slipping through our fingers. Participants were asked to share their stories, giving form to these intangible futures through conversations and creative reflection.

The Exhibition

The Lost Futures Exchange was installed at 3 Market Lane, Wellington, as part of an Urban Dream Brokerage residency in 2018. Hosted by Biz Dojo in partnership with Collider, the residency activated unused urban spaces, transforming them into vibrant zones of public engagement. Visitors brought diverse futures to exchange—personal ambitions, societal progress, and utopian visions of better worlds.

You can learn more about The Lost Futures Exchange and its residency at Urban Dream Brokerage on their official website.

Reflection

This project is a reminder that while futures may be lost, they remain part of our stories. By exchanging them, we learn from what was left behind and continue imagining new possibilities.