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Luxury of life
2012:04:12The Future Laboratory – ‘When the poor have the choice between culture and luxury, they always choose luxury first.’
Monday night saw The Future Laboratory’s CEO Chris Sanderson debating this quotation, attributed to Thomas Hardy, and other issues in a panel discussion about luxury in an age of austerity on Radio 3’s arts and ideas flagship programme Night Waves.
Chris was among a distinguished group which included Giles Fraser, former canon chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, Robert Frank, the author of Luxury Fever, Maxine Berg, professor of history at the University of Warwick and historian Michael Scott.
They discussed the democratisation of luxury and how – and whether – we should control the global appetite for luxury as the middle classes in developing economies are set to double over the next 10 years.
The panel also explored how society’s understanding and consumption of luxury has evolved over time. Luxury today has shifted due to social pressures, they proposed. Luxury is no longer always about product, it can now be a behaviour and is often something that is ethical, environmentally friendly and delivered sustainably.
Hear their wide-ranging conversation in full on the Night Waves website
Paws for thought
2012:04:11The Future Laboratory – This week we’re hosting a playful exhibition that invites guests on a whimsical journey to explore the magical mind of the original future lab, Jasper, our co-founder’s Labrador dog.
‘The Dog House’ is a tongue in cheek, immersive experience into Jasper’s world. Inside a giant kennel, guests can follow chalk-drawn stories about his life and watch a film about Jasper’s battle with his arch-rival, a whippet named Archie.
The exhibition provides a real world space for Future Poll’s Trends Analyst Vashti Hallissey, to share stories inspired by her illustrated blog: and for Trends Researcher Jamie McCracken to show off his filmmaking skills.
You can watch the animated adventure, created by Jamie, Vashti and designer Colin Christie here
The Dog House is open until 13th April at The Future Laboratory, 26 Elder Street, London E1. If you would like to find out what makes the Future Labrador tick beforehand, email jasper@thefuturelaboratory.com to arrange a viewing.