Ok ok. Technically there are at least 67 and a half others in the world. And there are some real corkers out there, as well as many that would easily file under 'faded glamour'. And we're biased, as any parent is towards their child. Here's a very potted story of what's been happening over the last decade.
We rescued the Futuro at Marston Park from dilapidation in South Africa in 2013 and brought it back to the UK, where we have spent the time since restoring it to its original glory.
The Futuro encapsulates the zeitgeist of late 60’s design, architecture, interiors, culture and lifestyle in one object. It was a beacon of belief in there being better ways to be, at a time when optimism was in more plentiful supply. Now more than ever, we need talismanic artefacts to teach us not just of the failings of the past, but to imbue us with a sense of possibility for the future.
At Matt's Gallery in 2014, over 30 different daily performances and events were curated.
Following that it spent two years at Central Saint Martins, used by the college for future gazing performances, talks, screenings and exhibitions, as well as sold out public tours hosted by Craig Barnes.
The summer of 2018 was spent overlooking the city of Le Havre, the Futuro's futuristic sci-fi interior filled with sound by Vincent Epplay, who took 30,000 visitors on a sonic voyage of the mind.
Now it has landed in Marston Park, Somerset, for a limited time in 2021. Wherever the Futuro lands, it should be used as a space for the public to find inspiration, experimentation and image alternate tomorrows.
This Futuro house has recently featured in the publications 150 Houses You Need to Visit Before You Die (Lannoo, Demeulemeester/Gigou, 2021), Houses - Extraordinary Living (Phaidon, 2019), and Commune: 4 Days, 6 Hours, 45 Minutes (CSM Publications, 2017) as well as press features in The Telegraph, The Observer, The Guardian, Evening Standard, Time Out, Art Monthly, A-N, and was on one of the Guardian top architecture exhibitions in 2014. The restoration of the Futuro was also covered in series 4 of George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces.
Futuro houses feature in many other iconic publications including The Iconic House - Architectural Masterworks Since 1900 (Bradbury, Thames & Hudson, 2018), Home Delivery (Bergdoll/Christensen, MoMa, 2008), on the cover of Prefab Houses (Taschen, Cobbers/Jahn, 2014), Futuro - Tomorrow’s House from Yesterday (Desura, ed Home/Tananila, 2004) and The House Book (Phaidon, 2001).