Object

From the juke joint scenes in the Oscar-winning film Sinners to Parliament-Funkadelic album covers and beyond, explore how Afrofuturism's visual history can be traced through comics, music, data visualisation, and contemporary art.
Featuring Ytasha Womack and Reynaldo Anderson.
RELATED LINKS:
Object: https://objectstories.co/
Before Yesterday We Could Fly at the Met: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/afrofuturist-period-room
W.E.B. Du Bois's hand-drawn infographics: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/w-e-b-du-bois-hand-drawn-infographics-of-african-american-life-1900/

EPISODE CREDITS:
Host, research & production: Ferren Gipson
Music: Tom Lloyd
Object cover art: Anna Bu Kliewer
The Imagined Futures miniseries is produced in partnership with The Public Domain Review. https://publicdomainreview.org/
Learn more at objectstories.co
Follow @ferrengipson on Instagram


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit object.substack.com

Explore an early version of a Jurassic park with the quirky dinosaur sculptures at Crystal Palace Park. In this bonus episode, we take a detour from our Imagined Futures miniseries to think about how scientists and artists imaged the very distant, pre-historic past.
Featuring Nancy Rose Marshall.
RELATED LINKS: Object: https://objectstories.co/ Crystal Palace Dinosaurs: https://cpdinosaurs.org/
EPISODE CREDITS: Host, research & production: Ferren Gipson Music: Tom Lloyd Object cover art: Anna Bu Kliewer
Learn more at objectstories.co Follow @ferrengipson on Instagram


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit object.substack.com

How have artists and designers visualised the future of space travel? How did a race to the moon influence design? From pulp magazine covers to furniture design to the NASA art programme, this episode explores how science fiction illustration and geopolitical concerns shaped the way the public thought about space travel and transformed mid-century visual culture.
Featuring Amber Butchart, Nina Steinmüller, and Lois Rosson.
This episode is presented in partnership with The Public Domain Review, an online journal exploring curious and compelling works from the history of art, literature, and ideas.
RELATED LINKS:
Object: https://objectstories.co
Public Domain Review: https://publicdomainreview.org
1999 A.D. (1967 film): https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/1999-ad/NASA
Art Program images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons/albums/72157633977913266/
AUDIO CLIPS:
"1999 A.D.," directed by Lee Madden (Philco-Ford, 1967).
“We choose to go to the Moon,” 12 September 1962, speech by John F. Kennedy at Rice University.
EPISODE CREDITS:
Host, research & production: Ferren Gipson
Music: Tom Lloyd
Object cover art: Anna Bu Kliewer
Learn more at objectstories.co
Follow @ferrengipson on Instagram


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit object.substack.com

From fantastical telectroscope video calls to electric flying machines, explore how the Victorians imagined the future through images and early sci-fi literature. We discuss the genre of scientific romance, Jules Verne's influence on real space exploration, and surprisingly early concerns about climate change. Plus, we look at whimsical French postcards that envisioned everyday life in the year 2000.
Featuring Iwan Rhys Morus and Nancy Rose Marshall.
This episode is presented in partnership with The Public Domain Review, an online journal exploring curious works from the history of art, literature, and ideas. Discover more at publicdomainreview.org.
RELATED LINKS:
Object: https://objectstories.co/
Public Domain Review: https://publicdomainreview.org/

EPISODE CREDITS:
Host, research & production: Ferren Gipson
Audio sample: NASA / Apollo 11 Mission Archive
Music: Tom Lloyd
Object cover art: Anna Bu Kliewer
Learn more at objectstories.co 
Follow @ferrengipson on Instagram


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit object.substack.com

How have we imagined the future? Series 2 explores visions of tomorrow—from Victorian Scientific Romance to Space Age design, Afrofuturism, and cyberpunk.

Episodes drop every other week starting February 23, 2026.
The Imagined Futures series is brought to you in partnership with The Public Domain Review—discover images and ideas from forgotten pasts at publicdomainreview.org.

Learn more at objectstories.co


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit object.substack.com