The digital era, which has approached its true potential in the 21st century, opens up unpredictable prospects for humanity. We should be in no doubt that with the appearance of virtual reality the challenges we face are greater than ever before. We have reached a turning point since we have exploited and used up what we know as the “planet of life,” and indeed, we are already plotting to use technology to leave it. When Dante speeded up time and humanity reached the point of the Renaissance, it all seemed natural. When Bach wrote his cantatas and concertos, that seemed natural. Then came the Rodchenkos, the Maleviches and the Kassáks with their raw momentum, followed by world wars, with the Bauhaus wedged in between. In the meantime, Adolf Zukor and the Big Five built Hollywood and manufactured everything that generated profit. Time has become condensed. The 20th century, the century of evil, is over.

​

Finding a balance between the intensifying virtuality of the 21st century and analog existence resulting from human nature presents a serious challenge. New questions ranging from time management through man’s relationship with objects to spatial perception are generated in an age when the Earth’s existence is being pushed to the limits through the technological developments at our disposal. We do not know exactly where this will lead but we do know that we can no longer deviate from this path. Here we are in the 21st century, lacking certainty and looking for a way out on the boundary of the analog and virtual worlds, hoping that we can understand the challenges we face and that together with the digital generation, who are very likely to experience the 22nd century, we will be able to jointly map out a new world in Dante’s bold spirit.

 

The 21st Laboratory, an open think tank, seeks to find an answer to how the process of transformation can be fostered from a contemporary perspective and to envision the world that is coming into being through change. We can only provide good answers if we are capable of change, of structurally transforming our immediate environment and of integrative thinking. What we need is no longer 20th-century knowledge transfer but rather 21st-century information sharing. We are initiating a dialogue in order to understand the causes and contexts of the spiritual and intellectual obstacle course of our time.

 

Beyond studying general phenomena, the 21st Laboratory makes recommendations for university art education programmes. We wanted to find out to what extent the university structure and approach, which hark back to the 19th century, are capable of keeping up with the new, 21st-century world of ideas and integrative approach. We have developed a model that continues to consider the acquisition of the professional foundations of disciplines as a starting point, while deeming it essential to make a clear-cut distinction between undergraduate and postgraduate university education. When the FERRY is launched, shifting away from routine and old habits, will initiate a way of thinking that has the potential to generate change in the traditional structures of university-level creative programmes. The FERRY is the domain for thinking, mobility and networking that, starting from Hungary, could consolidate into an international network.