Yesterday, there was a great, big, beautiful tomorrow.
Twenty-five years apart, in the very heart of the American Century, two World’s Fairs were held in Flushing Meadows, Queens. On the precipice of World War and at the height of the Cold War, the world descended upon New York City, to see what the future might hold.
The Fair contained multitudes: everything from underwater hotels and lasers in the jungle to Billy Graham and dinosaurs. But, most importantly, it contained a vision of tomorrow. In this guide, we revisit the intentions of those dreams. To do so, we take you back to the Fair—but to a version more in tune with the 21st century to which we have awoken.
This guide is an accompaniment to artist Johannah Herr’s body of work, I Have Seen the Future, featuring architectural models of various utopias that ask just who was modeling our future, and why? Herr’s architectural models—depicted within these pages in ravishing hues—are accompanied by descriptions of pavilions at this re-imagined Fair by writer Cara Marsh Sheffler. Crucially, the pages are also adorned with words from our legion of sponsors. After all, the future was always brought to you by Exxon Mobil, General Motors, US Steel, Lockheed Martin, Dow Chemical—and so many more!
In this guide, we invite you to consider the legacy of so many thoughts about tomorrow—and how they led us to today. Behold the future we were told to hope for! - ¡AGITPOP PRESS!
