PRIMER 2020 - Why Pasifika Futurism Matters

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PRIMER 2020
Gregory Loui
Why Pasifika Futurism Matters

According to National Geographic, 370 million Indigenous peoples make up less than 5% of the total human population but manage over 25% of the world’s land surface and 80% of the global biodiversity. Therefore the future of Indigenous people is the future of the planet. With these communities isolated and spread throughout the world, imagining ways of survival through economic and ecological crises is imperative to the future of Indigenous people. Pacific Islanders are among the most vulnerable people in the world and thus require a whole movement of their own to not just survive, but thrive in the future.

This talk explores the history of Pasifika Futurism, its various forms and its current importance in solving the Climate Crisis. It discusses briefly how the Indigenous Futures Lab at UC San Diego helps further the field, especially in terms of our Floating City Project. Last but not least, this talk is a call-to-action for people around the world to recognize the importance of Indigenous people through the lens of Pacific Islanders. Even people who are not of Indigenous heritage can help through their support and collaboration with Indigenous people

Gregory Loui
Researcher, Indigenous Futures Lab

I am a Speculative Designer, artist, avid reader, geek, martial artist and an aspiring Speculative Fiction writer of diverse but grounded stories. Above all, I am a creator. Raised in Hawaii as a child of multiple heritages, I was always exposed to a multitude of cultures from Chinese to Japanese to Hawaiian. As a kid, I would always be reading in the library, starting my journey into the world of speculative fiction with the Redwall series by Brain Jacques and NOVA on PBS. To this end, I became a Speculative Design Major at UCSD, one of the first students to enroll in the new major. I knew it was the major to me because it combined both scientific inquiry and art, creating a major that envisions the future through research and artistic creativity.

I’ve taken courses in Speculative Design and passed with flying colors through my work in imagining futures for underrepresented populations. I’ve also joined DFA, Design for America, a club formed by Don Norman to create human-centered design solutions for social problems. We’ve worked on a project to help refugee education inequality in the San Diego area and have won an award from UCSD for our proof of concept. I’ve interned for the UCSD Cross-Border Initiative, helping run an out-door learning environment as well as filming a documentary in a underserved neighborhood of San Diego. Now, I work at the Fox Lab and Indigenous Futures Lab at UCSD.

My primary career path is as a Speculative Designer, finding a job in a lab or Think Tank to create new-paradigm shifting devices that challenge conventional thoughts on technology. If I can change a single life, then I will know I’ve taken my first step. As a secondary career goal, I also want to make a living from my fiction novels if possible. I love writing stories too much to give up, so getting paid for my craft would be great.

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