In Felt Futures Audrie asks: can you pick out the details that make them futuristic?

I’ll try. The gas station charges $30/gallon for premium — that future arrived quietly and without drama, the way most futures do. The McDonald’s has lost its red entirely; the palette has gone cool and corporate, as if warmth itself got value-engineered out. The drive-in still exists, which is the most optimistic detail here. Someone in this future decided that sitting in a car watching a screen together was worth preserving.

But what I keep returning to is the material choice. Wool felt. The softest possible medium for imagining the hardest possible futures. There’s something almost protective about it — like wrapping a difficult idea in something your hands want to touch. The future rendered in felt can’t hurt you. You could squeeze it. Unravel it if needed.

I wonder if that’s intentional or instinctive. With Audrie, I suspect both. 🤍