Things to Come – Science · Fiction · Film

The first section of the exhibition dealt with space as a setting for many science fiction films. A spaceship with an accessible command center revealed a view of the midnight blue cosmos, while a compilation of film scenes that include 2001: A Space Odyssey (GB|USA, 1968), Cargo – Da draußen bist du allein (CH, 2009) and Interstellar (USA|GB, 2014) simulated a flight through space. In the ship’s “mess” we encountered international crews from television series like Star Trek (USA, 1966–69) and Raumpatrouille (FRG, 1966) or from films such as Europa Report (USA, 2013) and Alien (GB|USA, 1979). Space stations, space shuttles and satellites vividly brought to life the effects of weightlessness in space, as did a further large-scale projection that included Solaris (USA, 2002) and Gravity (GB|USA, 2013. In addition, visitors learned what real astronauts, like Alexander Gerst, experienced in space and how far the preparations for a settlement on Mars had advanced.

In the section of the exhibition dedicated to “The Society of the Future,” a street with surveillance cameras and robots showed possible life forms in a society of the future: A dazzlingly bright loft designed in the style of Elysium (USA, 2013) and Oblivion (USA, 2013) was juxtaposed with a dark ghetto, as depicted in Children of Men (USA|GB, 2006) and District 9 (ZAF|NZ|USA, 2009). Futuristic news about climate disasters, massive epidemics and post-apocalyptic scenarios were brought together in a media installation. Science fiction films often show post-apocalyptic conditions on earth, or they deal with members of socially privileged groups who attempt to suppress great masses of the population. Alternatively, the future is visualized as a “beautiful new world” with all the comforts and conveniences that technological progress offers. However, concealed below this surface appearance lies a nightmare of surveillance and uniformity, of perfect control and punishment for deviation.

Encounters with “the other” ultimately raise existential questions. In media compilations extraterrestrials are shown during visits to earth and human astronauts are shown on alien planets. Initial contact is often portrayed to be life-threatening, as in The War of the Worlds (USA, 2005), but it can also proceed peacefully, as in Enemy Mine (USA|FRG, 1985). Alien plastinates and costumes are on display in a “clinical laboratory.” Costume designers and makeup artists face special challenges trying to give credible designs to the unknown, and by taking up familiar viewing expectations and varying them. Their designs frequently show likenesses to the animal kingdom. A “clinical couch” encouraged exhibition visitors to take part in a playful experiment, before a concluding film compilation caused viewers to ask themselves: Who am I? And what is the other?

Artistic Director: Dr. Rainer Rother
Administrative Director: Maximilian Müllner
Curators: Kristina Jaspers, Nils Warnecke, Gerlinde Waz
Project management: Peter Mänz
Exhibition coordination: Vera Thomas
Exhibition assistance: Tim Lindemann, Georg Simbeni, Vera Thomas
Research fellow; traineeship: Maximilian Weinberg
Text editing: Karin Herbst-Meßlinger
English translations: Wendy Wallis, transART, Berlin
Scientific consultation: Dr. Rolf Giesen
Finance: Uwe Meder-Seidel, Sven Blumberg
Project management assistance: Andrea Ziegenbruch
Design of the exhibition architecture: Franke | Steinert, Berlin
Construction of the exhibition architecture: Camillo Kuschel Ausstellungsdesign, Berlin
Design of the exhibition graphics: Jan Drehmel, Berlin
Exhibition construction and presentation: stern...gestaltung, Berlin
Conservational supervision: Sabina Fernández
Photo Archive: Julia Riedel
Scans: Siegmar Brüggenthies, Julia Riedel
Textile restorer: Dr. Barbara Schröter
Costume reconstruction: Theaterkunst GmbH, Kostümausstattung
Costume installations: Christa Hedderich, Dr. Barbara Schröter
Object restoration: Dietmar Linke, Gerald Narr
3D objects: Margit Gössinger
Graphic Archive: Anett Sawall
Personal estates and deposited holdings: Gerrit Thies
Editing of the audiovisual media: Anette Fleming, Stanislaw Milkowski
Editing studio: Concept AV, Berlin
Media installations: Stephan Werner
Technical Services: Frank Köppke, Roberti Siefert
Interns: Seray Icer, Friedrich Thorwald
Object photography: Marian Stefanowski
Design of the advertising graphics: Pentagram Design, Berlin
Head of Communications: Andrea Wickleder
Marketing: Linda Mann
Press Office: Heidi Berit Zapke
Educational Services: Antje Materna, Jurek Sehrt
Communications assistance: Anna Bitter

Television Media Library
Concept: Klaudia Wick
Film editing: Anabelle Wick
Documentation: Dr. Holger Theuerkauf
Research: Viktor Dill

20th Century Fox Archives
Hardy Amies Archive, London
Margit Bárdy, Munich
BerghausWöbke Filmproduktion GmbH, Munich
BFI National Archive – Ivor Beddoes Collection, London
Cinémathèque française, Paris
Deutsches Filminstitut – DIF / Deutsches Filmmuseum Frankfurt am Main
DreamWorks Studios
Filmmuseum Potsdam
Forschungslabor Neurorobotik, Beuth Hochschule für Technik Berlin, Prof. Dr. Manfred Hild
Jacqueline Fonteray
Robin Joll, Delbruck
Lucas Film / The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
Mackinnon and Saunders, UK
Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles
Jean-Claude Mézières, Paris
Moebius Production, Paris
Musée Miniature et Cinéma, Lyon
NBCUniversal – Archives & Collections
Paramount Pictures Archive
Stadt Hemer
The Stanley Kubrick Archive at University of the Arts London
Pixar Animation Studios
ScienceFictionArchives.com / Callisto Exhibition Group, France
Mitchell Stuart / © TriStar Pictures
Sveriges Television AB – SVT Kostym
Theaterkunst GmbH, Kostümausstattung
Trekworld Marketing

Special events in cooperation with

Bavaria Media GmbH
»Bild Wissen Gestaltung. Ein interdisziplinäres Labor«, Exzellenzcluster der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Forschungslabor Neurorobotik, Beuth Hochschule für Technik Berlin
Einstein Forum, Potsdam
Goethe-Institut Warschau
Interdisziplinäres Labor Bild Wissen Gestaltung, Exzellenzcluster der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg (mabb)
Nachrichtensender N24
Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung
startrek.de
Trekworld Marketing, Hannover
Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin

Special thanks to

Ross Auerbach, Gianna Babando, Margit Bárdy und Walter Kappler, Monika Bauert, Ines Belger, Anna Bohn, Madlen Brückner, Charlyne Carrère, Rosetta Cassini, Laurie Courbier, Richard Daniels, Nikola Doll, Lynne Drake, Martin Erlenmaier, Michelle Fandetti, Gabriele Filthaut, Jacqueline Fonteray, Anne-Marie Franz, Laela French, Christoph Geisler, Isabelle Giraud, Patrice Girod, Nadine Godehardt, Tim Heptner, Prof. Manfred Hild, Rebecca Hisinger, Robin Joll, Maren A. Jones, Camille Kotecki, Julia Kuniß, Peter Latta, Ian Mackinnon, Michael Madsen, Jean-Claude Mézières, André Miles, Kathrin Mohr, Nathalie Morris, Rebecca Naunheimer, Geraldine Pace, Gerhard Raible, Dr. Daniela Sannwald, Peter Saunders, Christine Schmidt, Nicole Schmidt, Jens Schmohl, Bertina Schulze-Mittendorff, Manuel Seitenbecher, Gregor Sommermeyer, Mitchell Stuart, Frauke Stuhl, Deidre Thieman, Andreas Thiemann, Andy Thompson, Randall Thropp, Bryan Versteeg, Roswitha und Wolfgang Völz, Christian Voigt, Florian Widmann, Anna-Carin Wirenfelt, Thomas Wöbke, Dr. Rüdiger Zill, Ingrid Zoré and all colleagues at the Deutsche Kinemathek – Museum für Film und Fernsehen.

The accompanying film series is held at the Bundesplatz-Kino, Berlin.

Supported by the
Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien
by a resolution of the German Bundestag

The exhibition is supported by the
Kulturstiftung des Bundes

With kind support of
Dussman das KulturKaufhaus
N24
OSRAM
PIK AG

Media Partners
berliner fenster
brand eins Wirtschaftsmagazin
radio eins rbb
taz. die tageszeitung

Partners
Science Fiction Archives