The silver fern flag, designed by Kyle Lockwood will feature at the V&A Gallery (Victoria & Albert Museum) in London.

This is one of the world’s top galleries and we are very excited that our Silver Fern Flag will be proudly on display.

This major exhibition is well worth a visit if you are in London between Saturday 12 May 2018 and the 4th of November 2018.

This exhibition will display emerging technologies, the ways in which they will affect our lives in the near future, and what choices we have – as citizens – to influence their development.

The world of tomorrow is shaped by the designs and technologies emerging today. From smart appliances to satellites, this exhibition brings together more than 100 objects either newly released or in development that point towards where society might be headed. Although some may seem straight out of science fiction, they are all real, produced by research labs, universities, designers' studios, governments and corporations.

Guided by ethical and speculative questions, we invite you to step into four scenarios – self, public, planet and afterlife – each evoking increasing scales of technological impact. How might these objects affect the way you live, learn and even love?

The undeniable physical reality of these objects may give the impression that the future is already fixed. But new things contain unpredictable potentials and possibilities, often unanticipated even by their creators. It is up to us – as individuals, as citizens and even as a species – to determine what happens next. While the objects here suggest a certain future, it is not yet determined. The future we get is up to us. The future starts here.

1. Self
What makes us human? We can now design life itself. Our bodies, and even our internal biological systems, are becoming sites of design. Wearable technologies and personal trackers have become standard objects of our everyday. We measure our heart rate when we go jogging, and navigate cities with the help of GPS. As we extend our cognitive and biological capacities through machines, distinctions between what is human and what is technological blur. Once synonymous with privacy and reclusion, the home is now a broadcasting station from which we share our lives through social media. We are now all connected, but are we still lonely?

2. Public
Are cities still for everyone? This section explores the public realms of cities, politics and networks, the places where we come together to collectively make decisions. People get together to crowdfund everything from bicycles to bridges, or to leak governmental secrets and generate new currencies. In face of this, Does democracy still work? The future of public and civic spaces lies between two competing forces: the top-down strategies of an increasingly small number of companies and governments, and the bottom-up tactics of an increasingly large number of people. Which will thrive?

3. Planet
Should the planet be a design project? Human activity has altered our planet to the extent that some scientists have declared a new geological epoch, the 'Anthropocene', or 'age of humans'. Now that we know our behaviour has unintentionally designed the Earth, can we use technology to reverse the effects? Some designers are working on possible solutions to clean, repair or give back to the planet. Others are looking beyond the Earth for solutions in the stars – designing satellites that scope asteroids for mining new geological resources, and solutions for inhabiting Mars. But if Mars is the answer, what is the question? Can we still save our planet or shall we leave?

4. Afterlife
Who wants to live forever? Current advancements in biotechnology and artificial intelligence have the potential to redefine our conceptions of what life is. Reawakening after death or uploading one's mind onto a computer are ideas that may sound like science fiction but are taken seriously by some futurists today. Against these efforts to preserve the self, institutions such as the Long Now Foundation or the Svalbard Global Seed Vault are working to preserve humanity through books, seeds and material culture. What do we want to preserve for the future – the individual or the collective?


See more, and to book visit;
https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/about-the-future-starts-here-exhibition

​As you will know, New Zealanders recently voted in the final flag referendum and the Current NZ Flag was chosen as our flag for the future.
 
In light of the result, the Crown has returned all intellectual property rights in the Silver Fern Flag to Kyle Lockwood. Therefore should you wish to sell the Silver Fern Flag, you should do so with Mr Lockwood's agreement; Mr Lockwood can be contacted at [email protected].
 
Thank you very much for your support during the Flag Consideration Project, it is greatly appreciated.
 
NEW ZEALAND FLAG CONSIDERATION PROJECT

NEW ZEALAND LISTENER    
Issue 3959    1st April, 2016   Editorial

"So. After two referendums and a national debate that was far more bruising and acrimonious than anyone expected, we remain where we started: with a national flag that many New Zealanders still have trouble distinguishing from Australia’s, and which identifies us as a quaint British outpost in the South Pacific. The people have spoken – and as former Labour Party leader Mike Moore was fond of saying, the people are always right, even when they are wrong."

See more http://www.listener.co.nz/commentary/features/flag-referendum-win-democracy/

NZ LISTENER
3 March 2016

The Listener argues that the debate over changing New Zealand’s flag has been distorted by political motives and distractions such as cost concerns. It urges voters to refocus on the key issue: whether the current flag truly represents New Zealand’s independent national identity or still reflects its colonial ties to Britain through the Union Jack. Historically, the existing flag was adopted when New Zealand strongly identified with Britain, but the country has since evolved into an independent, multicultural nation with strong ties across the Pacific and Asia. Symbols like the silver fern have long held cultural significance, including for Māori. Many other former British colonies have already removed the Union Jack from their flags. Drawing on Canada’s successful flag change, the article argues that adopting a new symbol could strengthen national pride and identity, and that failing to act would be a missed opportunity for NZ.

Read more: http://www.listener.co.nz/commentary/features/flag-of-the-bold/

© 2016 Crown Copyright