HOW IT WORKS
This is an open experiment — a series of conversations, a couple of dinners, some hackathons, and a collection of public prototypes.
The goal is to bring together artists, storytellers, creative technologists, engineers, and builders — both IRL and virtually — to collaborate, document, and share the learnings, tools, and code that emerge.
This is an art-driven approach, meaning the prototypes will be experimental, imaginative, participatory, and performative. In other words, they will be difficult to define — by design.
This isn’t new. Many have explored the intersections of art and technology before us. This program draws inspiration from those pioneers, including Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.) and the Fluxus art movement.
Conversations
On Monday, June 23rd, Decentralized Futures will kick off at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center at Lincoln Center. The evening will unfold through a series public conversations where artists, technologists, curators, educators, and students come together to explore how creative infrastructure can evolve beyond centralized control. This session is just a glimpse of what’s ahead: a preview of the open, experimental, and participatory approaches that will shape the future of decentralized cultural production.
Dinners
As part of Decentralized Futures, we’re hosting a series of Jeffersonian Dinners — intimate, single-conversation meals designed to spark deep dialogue around a central question. Three of these will be small in-person gatherings, each bringing together a mix of artists, engineers, curators, and cultural thinkers in thoughtfully curated settings. In addition, we’ll host one larger virtual Jeffersonian Dinner, extending the table to a broader, global community. Each dinner invites participants to reflect, share, and imagine new models for creative collaboration in a decentralized world.
Hackathons
We’re staging two unique hackathons designed to prototype new forms of creative infrastructure through transdisciplinary collaboration. These aren’t your typical sprints — they’re spaces to explore, to question, and to build in public. One hackathon will bring together five artists and five technologists, matched for a deep collaboration over the course of 48 hrs. Together, they’ll prototype speculative systems, tools, and/or experiences that challenge centralized norms and imagine alternative creative futures. Think of it less as a competition, and more as a catalyst for long-term experimentation. Summer 2025
A second hybrid hackathon — spanning both virtual and IRL spaces — will be open to anyone, regardless of technical experience. It’s a chance for artists, creative technologists, engineers, builders, thinkers, tinkerers, and dreamers to remix, fork, and build their own decentralized experiments. Participants will draw inspiration from live prototypes like Last Human, and will be invited to document their process, build in the open, and contribute to a shared repository of learnings. It’s all part of a broader commitment to do-it-with-others prototyping — where ideas are messy, methods are experimental, and the future is co-authored. Fall 2025
Public Prototyping
What if prototyping wasn’t just a step in the process but the process itself? As part of Decentralized Futures, we’re embracing open prototyping as a way to explore new models of creative infrastructure. From art to games to fashion to storytelling to immersive experiences, we’re building in public and inviting others to do the same. Whether you're remixing an idea, creating a tool, or documenting what you’ve learned, this is a space to experiment, share, and shape what comes next — together.
Decentralized Futures: Social Contract
Decentralized Futures is an open, experiential, and social learning experiment. By participating, you’re joining a community committed to curiosity, collaboration, and creative exploration.
We ask that you:
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Document and share what you learn so others can benefit.
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Share your code and tools when possible, to help extend and strengthen the ecosystem.
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Respect others’ contributions and give credit where it’s due.
Your work is yours. Unless you choose to release it openly, otherwise you retain all rights to your IP. You are welcome — but never required — to make your work accessible to others under an open license.
There is no cost to be particpate in Decentralized Futures. Virtual and IRL events are free. However if you do decide to create a prototype you’re responsible for your own materials and development costs.
This is a space to experiment. To build in public. To imagine what creative infrastructure could be — together.
Decentralized Futures
is a collaboration between
Columbia DSL & the Solana Foundation