Upcoming talks:
2022:
Probiblio (about the future of humanity in society)
Year conference Partij voor de Dieren (about the future of food)
Kinderallergologie Symposium (on the future of food)
Sijthoff Media (on the future of society)
Sexuality Festival (on the future of intimacy)
Nacht van de Filosofie (on the future of love)
Saxion (on the future of friendship)
VINT (on futures-anthropology)
International Literature Festival The Hague (on feminism, the future of housing and the future of food)
Selection of recent talks:
Nacht van Ontdekkingen - talk on sustainable humanity
Het Filosofisch Kwintet - on the future of humanity, with Steven Pinker, Philipp Blomm and Rutger Bregman
IMPAKT festival - keynote talk on the Future of Love
Explore the North - talk on Sustainable Humanity
UWV (Employee Insurance Agency) - talk on Sustainable Futures at work
'The future of work' for IKEA International
RUG University, keynote talk on dealing with unknown futures
Avebe, keynote talk on the future of food
'The future of love' for BRAINWASH Talks
Impossible Bodies - a future
scenario on cyborgs, trans- and humanism
The Brave New World conference (Leiden)
Roanne on storytelling, sci-fi and future-scenarios
For an audience of medical experts, Roanne offered her view on digitization in public health.
Some recent examples of performances: on
pop-festival Lowlands she shared her vision on the
future of love, food and music; during TedxTalks in
Amsterdam and Wageningen she envisaged a sustainable
future of our world – one in which nature, humans
and technology flourish; during a ‘history and
future dinner’, she spoke for an intimate audience
of futurists and trendwatchers, during a lunchtalk
at Patagonia she spoke about the future of work, and
during a booktour in Indonesia, she read from her
work and engaged in meet-and-greets with her
readers.
Roanne is known for her ability to explain complex
matters in an accessible and engaging manner. With
her anthropological background, she is not your
average futurist: instead of just pointing out
trends, she explains how these trends will affect
humanity: the way we think, live, love, work and
feel. Moreover, as is common in the field of
anthropology, Roanne personally tries out- or
engages in - many of the future trends that she
studies: whether it be a future food-product, a sex
doll, an app, a job of the future, or a
future-house. This often leads to unexpected, funny
and – most importantly – incredibly insightful
lectures about the impact that technology and other
modern innovations have on human beings, on our
companies, our families and neighbourhoods.
Roanne enjoys working with event coordinators to
customize her talks within the scope of her
research.
-
The future of love, sex and gender
Did you know that soon, most people will
live single, in a house without roommates?
That ‘sologamy’ is the new thing? Did you
know that in the nearby future, sexdolls and
avatars may have taken over the job of
sexworkers? That long-distance technology
will make it easier for couples to feel
connected and stay intimate, even if they
are hundreds of miles apart? All of these
trends will deeply impact the way in which
we experience love. It is often taken for
granted that love is a universal force:
something that never changes. But in this
talk, Roanne explains that no such thing is
true. By taking her audience into the
history of love, relationships and marriage,
she shows that the way in which we fall in
love and care for romantic partners,
constantly evolves. At this moment, we are
on the breach of what is perhaps one of the
biggest changes in the history of love: in
the future, we will never love the same.
-
The future of work and education
If robots and algorhytms become ever more
efficient in carrying out human tasks, there
is a fair chance that humans will become
redundant on the workfloor. In this
fascinating talk, Roanne helps companies and
employees understand what individuals can do
and learn, in order to remain professionally
successful in the future. She discusses the
skills that our children should already
start developing, to increase their chance
on a good job. And she also shares a
future-scenario in which ways robots and
humans collaborate, allowing us more free
time for the things in life we value – even
if they are usually not paid.
-
What will you be having for breakfast, lunch
or dinner in 2030? Where will this food be
sourced? And how will it be prepared? Will
we eat burgers made from cultured meat?
Snacks made from insects? Or pills and
powders based on your DNA profile? It may
sound far-fetched, but with a growing world
population we must carefully reconsider our
food system – and times are changing, faster
than you thought possible. With videos,
images and personal stories about the future
food that she tested for you, Roanne offers
an insight into your future meals. Based on
scientific research and dozens of interviews
with futurists, trend watchers, lawyers,
lobbyists, sociologists, historians, food
experts, psychologists, inventors, vegan
bodybuilders, influencers and farmers,
Roanne outlines an anthropology of the
future. She shows how norms, trends, and
cultures in societies will rapidly change
and introduces you to a post-cruelty future.
