INWARDS was designed by N O R M A L S as part of the EU Policy Lab's Futures Garden project, and based on the research work of the Foresight on Demand network. The project aims to spark conversations among EU citizens and policymakers about possible futures and the EU's role in creating them.
If You Can’t Change the World, Change Yourself
Can sharing the neurochemistry of our feelings deepen mutual understanding? Can communities thrive when everyone is pushed to individually flourish? Can changing yourself truly change the world?Â
The developed scenarios reflect on the widespread pessimism of young generations, who wrestle with multiple planetary emergencies and a growing distrust in democratic institutions. This perceived lack of agency drives them toward introspective practices, with new spiritual movements, mindfulness, and self-optimisation apps rapidly gaining popularity. Are these practices mere escapism, or pathways to a better future?Â
Building on these signals, INWARDS imagines a society where individual well-being becomes a central concern. What starts as grassroot movements focused on unlearning materialism, developing kinder work cultures, or building empathy through neural interfaces eventually becomes a market that catches the attention of legislators. Devices for assisted introspection and mood sharing must be monitored, and new types of skills integrated into the professional landscape.
Five Scenes from an Introspective Future
A speculative design piece in five acts, INWARDS depicts a major cultural shift in the European Union during the 2050s: no longer believing in the myth of perpetual economic growth, recipes for self-empowerment, and technological fixes, citizens of Europe seek to regain agency by turning inwards. New cultures of emotional excellence and material minimalism emerge, supported by tools for computer-assisted introspection and emotion sharing. It is a quiet revolution coming from within.
Taking the form of short animations, it depicts future lives through introspective narrations, with a focus on the felt and ritualistic. Whether this model is desirable or not is left to the viewer’s discretion.
The Wishless: A helpline call explores the challenges of letting go of materialistic ideals.
Inner Attainment: A daily ritual of gaming-meets-introspection aims to replace therapy.
Neural Bonfire: A set of devices that network emotions helps a group overcome self-centeredness.
Emotional Excellence: A certificate of emotional excellence transforms work culture.
The Collective Path: A workplace fosters community by orchestrating individual journeys.
Engaging Citizens and Policymakers through Speculative Design
The Futures Garden project uses speculative design to create tangible, thought-provoking scenarios that ignite conversations during workshops with EU citizens and policymakers. These scenarios challenge participants with possible futures, prompting reflection on their social, political, and environmental costs. Feedback collected on a political compass gauges the desirability and realism of each scenario, and helps shape forward-thinking, inclusive, and impactful EU policies
N O R M A L S is a Berlin-based design studio supporting organisations in thinking about futures through design and fiction. They specialise in speculative design and work with public clients, research institutes, and companies, providing detailed and imaginative explorations of possible futures, and supporting people in reflecting on and preparing for these scenarios.
Their clients include the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the European Commission, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Evonik, and Deutsche Bahn, and their work has been shown internationally at the NY Fashion Week, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, MoMA, and more.
