“Even though utopias are potentially dangerous, we nonetheless need utopian visions. Loss of hope and utopia means loss of humanity. But how can we stop utopia turning into dystopia?" - Lyman Tower Sargent
The idea of an imaginary community or society with near perfect qualities, has been contagious in literary fiction, political thought, countercultural movements and technological avantgardes. What does utopian thinking give us, what are its proven historical pitfalls, its possibilities? How does imagining ideal futures function in the Anthropocene, with the abyss of climate collapse on the horizon?
For our upcoming season, we invite artists, writers of fiction and poetry, and academics, to reflect on the notion of Utopian Thinking. We encourage critical analysis of utopian movements or cultural objects, fictional stories and poems that include utopian thought, and internet-friendly artworks that grapple with these topics.
Send your proposal (max 200 words for a written piece, or audio/visual work in any format) to messenger@n-m.world with the subject line “Utopian Thinking”.
We favour work that has not yet been published elsewhere. Adaptations of earlier publications are, however, welcome.
Contributor fee:
Selected contributions will be compensated with a flat fee of €200,00.
We’re aware that this fee does not match a living wage in many places, and we hope to be able to raise this in our next seasonal call.
Call closing:
31 October 2021