"There are things we've done, and then there are things we are becoming.

          It's a constant evolution."

 

Anna (A.Ray) is an interdisciplinary artist, writer and creative producer with a passion for future world building. She developed her creative skills studying at the Victorian College of the Arts and working for several years as a theatre performer, writer and actor, co-devising works with artist collectives and professional experimental theatre companies.  She later began her career as a lawyer working with Australia's leading media production houses in legal and business affairs. Her passion for impact storytelling came working as a US campaign director for a worldwide, anti-poverty campaign with Global Citizen. Returning to Australia, she continued her interest in the business for impact movement, and devised a national program for SME and startups to achieve B Corporation certification. 

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Inspired by the power of story, technology and business to be forces for change, she also began working on company culture transformation programs as a writer/producer with global organisations. She was also co creator and showrunner for 4 seasons of "That StartUp Show", a Webby Award honoured TV series (Amazon Prime) and podcast focused on start up culture, innovation and future technology. She is now CoFounder at Futureology.io, a future focused interdisciplinary studio and research lab bringing together many disciplines in arts, technology and science in a creative process she and co founder Ace Salama coined "futureneering". They have developed and employed this unique methodology in their most recent exhibition for Melbourne Design Week 2023 created in collaboration with Swinburne’s School of Design and Architecture and BETA By STH BNK. Gloop: Exploring Urban Food Systems in 2049  is an exhibition set in a world has warmed 1.5 degrees above pre-Industrial levels, where global food systems are under strain, and the population is nearing 10 billion. They posed a design challenge to masters students: how can architecture be part of the food crisis solution?  The collection of works formed part of Futureology's overall exhibition for MDW23. Anna has taught her "futureneering" methodology to University students, creatives and design leaders as part of a global design leadership program for the past two years. 

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Anna has always gone down the road less travelled in developing her speculative world building process, which is ever evolving from a lifetime of experiences. Her current focus is humanity’s relationship to technology, post life consciousness and our connection to nature. She has spoken at some of Australia’s largest creative innovation conferences and film festivals. Anna is an honoree for the Tech Diversity Innovation Award (2016), a Techboard Community Leader Award (2017) nominee and was a finalist for BT Women in Media Awards for Best Creative Producer (2019).  She has a Bachelor of Arts and Law from the Australian National University.  She is a regular speaker, MC, and mentor in the innovation/creative tech arena. She loves people, plants & coffee and has a particular fascination with 'out of place objects.'  

Comments from Anna's Futureneering Masterclasses:

"Anna is so inspirational, her masterclass had a perfect mixture of future thinking and actionable frameworks. I loved the ideation workshop, it was brilliant"  

"Pushing us to think and consider potential futures - imagining new realities and consequences" 

"Lifetime value" , " Mad Good" , "Creative and Imaginative", 

- Students, ECHOS Global Design Leadership Program

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"Futureology shared ideas and showed us how we could think more effectively about the future.  How our architecture is going to affect the future, how it's going to live in the future... It’s exciting to be a part of, and the way that they're exhibiting everything as an immersive experience is very exciting as well” - Alexander, Swinburne Design & Architecture Masters Student

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“In simple terms, futureneering is thinking ahead—saying: ‘OK, how can we develop processes that are beneficial for the future population?” Aremel, Swinburne Design & Architecture Masters Student

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“Anna has been incredible to work with, she is always personable and brings energy and enthusiasm to everything she does. I always look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with Anna as an industry thought leader and to bring a professional and considered voice ”

- Emma Forster, Smart City Projects, City of Melbourne Open Innovation Challenges