Retrofuture FAQ |
What is Retrofuture? The Retrofuture is a concept based on a simple question: what happened to all that futuristic stuff which was supposed to change our lives by the year 2000? Stuff like rocket belts, flying cars, food pills and inflatable homes. Back when the year 2000 still evoked images of a perfect future, there was an all-too-brief existential moment when optimism became the order of the day. This was the space age. Before the door forever slammed shut, hundreds of unique dreams and schemes were hatched--each an elaborate attempt to reach an ideal state of being. They all failed. But as they failed something new was born--an imaginary universe called Retrofuture, a place where implausible and unfeasible plans continue to live and thrive, where yesterday's tomorrows are still in our future. Prefabricated homes, jet packs, waterproof furniture, Charles and Ray Eames, the Archigram group, Tesla's death ray, futuristic illustrators, early Internet, domestic robots and other topics are in the works. Write us and let us know what subjects you would like to see on this site. Your feedback helps us stay "retro-active". Are Retrofuture illustrations available for licensing? No, sorry about that. Many of the images on Retrofuture have been licensed but we do not own copyright. In others cases, we have used images in the public domain (for example, the NASA pictures). We cannot give you permission to copy these photos but if you write to us we can assist you in tracking down the copyright. Also please note in some cases we were not able to track down the original photographer and/or illustrator. We apologize in advance if anybody's name has been left out. Write us and we'll make sure to give credit where it's due. |
