With so much stirring around us, we believe there is no room to tolerate the status quo anymore. We have all heard the keywords that make up the necessary shift – inclusivity, sustainability, multiverse. And if there is someone who can lead the NEXT revolution of transforming the way we live and what shapes the world, it is YOU and the global creative community. It is those who dare to think beyond, thinkNEXT.  

As STIR turns three on July 1, 2022, with the precious participation of professionals who embody the seminal spirit of questioning, hereon we dedicate ourselves to the task of steering the discourse ahead in one direction – thinkNEXT.

What is thinkNEXT?

It is asking the important questions. What? Why? When? Where? How? Whom? What if? Why not? For whom? Really? Seriously? Is it the best? Alternatively? Today? Tomorrow? Ever? Never? What lies beyond? How far? Shouldn’t we? Will it change anything?

Put simply, to thinkNEXT is to probe deeper. thinkNEXT is about challenging the foundation, practice, tools, value system, intention, purpose, credibility, ethics, effectiveness, and long-term consequences of pretty much everything that exists and is in creation, so that the future is shaped by multi-dimensional knowledges that go beyond what meets the eye.

What can you expect?

A whole lot of content that questions and inspires questioning. We step into our fourth year with bold multimedia narratives that focus on stripping away the superficial and posing uncomfortable questions that lead to important interventions and innovations.

Stories that spark thought, dialogue and debate, and present powerful perspectives. Initiatives that celebrate the changemakers and disruptors in the industry and across academia. A deep dive into the minds of the champions of the NEXT - designers, artists, architects and digital alchemists who have dared to create from a place of the future.

As creative disciplines intertwine into infinitesimal futures and technology takes over to create a phygital pluriverse, our manifesto is to embrace inquiry, investigation and introspection. It is to examine and explore creativity of courage, diversity, responsibility and respect.

To dissect socio-political issues and the climate debate under the creative lens.

To bridge the timeless wisdom of local cultures with the brilliance of artificial intelligence.

How can you be part of thinkNEXT?

Question everything around you. Question the NEXT. Question them. Question this and that. Question what you are and what you do. Question us!

Your NEXT inspires ours. With this in mind, look out for our future initiatives and we invite you to share your questions, interpretations and your take on the NEXT through the comments section, our social media channels, or writing in to [email protected].

We invite creators, curators and thinkers to send us projects and contributions that explore the NEXT. Here are a few snippets of the pertinent and crucial voices that contribute to our discourse. The creative community comes together to postulate what comes NEXT. From artists, designers, and architects to creative scholars, academics and curators, all lead their voices to further the conversation. Hear the thoughts of Patricia Urquiola, Arthur Mamou-mani, Michael Anastassiades, Beatrice Leanza, Piero Lissoni, Aric Chen, Richard Hutten and many more on what comes NEXT.

We may not have all the answers, but together with you, we trust this quest will be worth it!

Stay STIRred.

thinkNEXT!