Where do you see yourself in twenty-five years? Conor Wilson

Annals of the Twenty-Ninth Century is a group exhibition of newly commissioned work by artists who worked at Wysing during 2013 as part of our artists' residency programme.

The title of the exhibition is taken from writer Andrew Blair’s early 1874 science fiction novel of the same name; a wildly speculative intergalactic future forecast. Although the book's predictions, including the creation of ‘a hundred different zoological armies’, may now appear wide of the mark, they are a useful indicator of the mores of the time. The text stands in interesting contrast to 2013 Wysing residency artist Gustav Metzger, whose influential writings and activist activities from the 1950’s onwards have been prescient of our current concerns. Whereas Blair suggested passive spiritual change, Metzger advocates decisive responsive action.

A new publication produced with An Endless Supply accompanies the exhibition. The publication collates responses to the question "Where do you see yourself in twenty-five years?" from sixty-seven artists, writers, academics and contributors to Wysing’s 2013 programme.