by Paul Wildman and Evan Hadkins
ABSTRACT
Here we explore the possibilities and potential of old made new again. Today we often hear the term “futuring” used to refer to bringing proactive concrete responses to futures issues into present-day operation. This article sees such a process as a post industrial form of what in times of old was called “artificing”, and then seeks to explore some aspects of this Middle Age precursor to today’s technician. The article examines important aspects of today’s “artificer” such as rebraiding thinking and doing and explores how this can be codified in futuring’s “exemplar projects” or the artificers “master piece”. The Artificer Learner still surviving, though only just, is today called a “bush mechanic” and is then situated with various types of action learning. This renewed approach is found to be suitable to certain particular present day challenges that derive from the global problematique are explored. In this way we can help demonstrate how such an ancient approach to futuring can help demonstrate a better tomorrow today – a future our children can live with.