Stålenhag’s Extraordinary Visual Storytelling

With a long-standing interest in future visualizations at the bivouac, the style and substance of Simon Stålenhag’s illustrations have left quite the impression. Stålenhag’s masterful illustrative technique is remarkable in and of itself. Still, his unique ability to seamlessly blend the world we know today with new and unfamiliar future technologies makes his work genuinely distinct.

Stålenhag’s command of visualizations portrays powerful story arcs without needing the written word. He is exceptionally skilled at capturing an expansive sense of scale. He does this by placing huge, futuristic objects into what would otherwise be commonplace landscapes. This juxtaposition, accompanied by a remarkable lighting command and a clarity of focus applied to some regions of the composition, further enhances a dramatic sense of expansiveness.

Another device Stålenhag uses is placing human beings in vulnerable situations with new forms of technology. Children or parents with children are seen navigating a landscape strewn with disused “old future” technologies or avoiding those who seem to be searching for them. Placing today’s emergent technology in such matter-of-fact settings and often applying an aged patina to technologies we have yet to know is powerful. Work like this can help encourage us to ask important questions about the technology we are bringing into the world at an increasing pace and why we might want to think more carefully about doing so.

To view more of Stålenhag’s work, visit: https://www.simonstalenhag.se/

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Danny StillionFutures, Future Concepts, Future Vision, Visualization, Technology, Storytelling, Science Fiction