Futurism is a word that can spark different meanings depending on the context. As a word with capital letters, it refers to the art movement that began in 1909 with Filippo Tomasso Marinetti’s Futurist Manifesto.
For those who studied art history it evokes images of sharp-colourful vectorized dynamic paintings and synesthetic poetry. Time, speed and movement. If you’ve seen Zaha Hadid’s early drawings the influence is very, very clear.

In terms of architecture, this is translated into similar fast-motion, three-dimensional interpretations (roughly) of the same thing.  It was deeply related to the Machine Age and the notion that the acceleration of historical proceses was a good strategy for progress. 

Alison and Peter Smithson’s House of the Future,  which is further away in terms of time (1956), evidently has the word “future” in its title. They later influenced what is known as Brutalist architecture (different, but related).   This specific house isn’t exactly the architectural style mentioned before, but it makes reference to a better, more technologically advanced modern life, where we can find curvy lines and smooth surfaces (which are easier to clean).
Function, innovation and style are deeply connected.

Continuing with a more flexible idea of what “futurism” is, there’s the inevitable sci-fi image of the future. In a way, it is not so far away from the Smithson’s concept of future.

The thing is, we’re in it right now.

Somehow, in a contradictory way, sci-fi and retro aesthetics meet in our visual imaginary library.  Can you find the influences below?

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