An Invitation to Dream
UTOPIA 2016: A Year of Imagination and Possibility at Somerset House celebrated the 500th anniversary of the publication of Thomas More’s inspirational text and was the largest ever celebration of this radical work anywhere in the world. Spanning the realms of art, literature, fashion, design, architecture and film, it featured a varied programme of special events, exhibitions and new commissions across the Somerset House site and beyond. The Utopia Treasury, in Somerset House’s Great Arch Hall invited people to explore, taste, and imagine utopia.
Thomas More was the first to give a name and form to an idea that has captured the human imagination throughout history: that by imagining a better world is possible, we are empowered to create it. His playful vision, published in 1516, presents an ideal society living on a fictitious island, described in a traveller’s tale. More’s Utopia is deliberately ambiguous, the Greek words on which the name is based mean both ‘no place’ and ‘good place’. It is not a blueprint for the future; instead he places importance on the process of dreaming in the now. To celebrate More’s vision, UTOPIA 2016 explored challenges facing contemporary culture and society, and the pivotal role of the arts and culture in creating a space where dreams can take root.
