A Few Years After Jubilee was designed to embody the diversity of thought, experience and perspective at the heart of the speculative world it portrays. From research and writing to voice acting, editing and illustration, the project brought together artists and researchers from across Europe, each contributing their own voice and vision.
Research: Digging into Forgotten Practices
The project began with an artistic research phase to surface concepts of governance, decision‑making, sustainability and collective wellbeing from different geographies and historical periods.
- In the first phase, the core team and three guest researchers compiled a broad list of practices, such as seasonal reorganisation of social hierarchies, Romani lawmaking traditions, cross‑border horizontal legal networks, and the Bishnoi community of environmental defenders from the 1400s.
- The findings were then curated and, in a second phase, two additional guest researchers built on this material, focusing more specifically on language, transition, collective wellbeing and sustainability within a European context.
From this work, emerging “buckets” and themes were identified, along with parallels and connections between practices.
From Research to Futures: Workshops and Worldbuilding
Next, a speculative designer joined for a futures workshop. Together, the group:
- Mapped current and emerging social, political, technological and environmental trends affecting the EU.
- Paired each historical or alternative practice from the research with these trends and with the themes of the Futures Garden commission.
This helped narrow down concepts that were most relevant to the Policy Lab, to the research, and to the creative direction of the project.
Writing the World: From “What if?” to Stories
With key concepts in place, four writers were invited to a writing workshop. The process involved:
- Generating “what if” questions inspired by the research, exploring how past practices could inform future alternatives.
- Brainstorming radio formats such as family conversations, field reports or call‑in segments.
- Creating a matrix of “what if” questions and formats, then rapidly sketching story ideas for each combination.
Writers could choose from these ideas or use them as a springboard for new but related stories.
Script development happened in two phases:
- Phase one: Each writer pitched three stories, outlining segment format, synopsis, inspiration and a short excerpt. Selected ideas were developed into full scripts and refined through two feedback rounds.
- Phase two: The team identified gaps or under‑explored concepts in the radio world and commissioned three more stories with more specific requirements.
In the final editing stage, the individual pieces were woven into a single, cohesive world, aligning themes, representation, language, vocabulary and timeframe.
Voices and Sound: Bringing the Show to Life
Once the script was ready, a casting director in Rotterdam helped recruit thirteen European voice actors of different ages and backgrounds, including from Greece, Ireland, Romania, Italy and the Netherlands. Many had experience with local radio, making them well suited to the format.
All recordings took place on site with a sound engineer. During the sessions, actors could adjust lines to better match how they would naturally express certain words or concepts in their own context, adding authenticity to the dialogue. The audio then went through several rounds of editing.
Visuals and Calendar: Designing the Planner
The planner:
- Visualises the new year, month and week structure.
- Highlights vocabulary connected to nature and seasonality.
- Shows how otium (rest) and negotium (work) days are balanced.
- Illustrates the inspiration behind each new month name.
A Shared Artefact, Many Voices
The radio show, the calendar and the long list of contributors now come together on a dedicated web page for A Few Years After Jubilee. The artefact invites visitors to question linear time, re‑imagine Europe’s futures, and ask their own “what if?” through the voices and practices that shaped the project.