A world map of whishes
The Database of Hopes
Wishes are a universal expression of human longing, hope and imagination. They arise from both the realities of our own individual lives and our collective visions – moving between fantasy and feasibility, between personal desires and our society’s guiding principles. As such, they shape our actions and open up opportunities for the shaping of the future. The digital Database of Hopes makes your wishes visible and evaluates them in the context of thousands of other wishes.
As a world map of wishes, the digital archive builds on the physical Database of Hopes – an exhibit that since Futurium’s opening in 2017 has been inviting visitors to share their hopes and wishes – while taking it to the next level by creating a new, hybrid world of experience.
The more than 500,000 entries made to date by Futurium visitors form a polyphonic archive of collective imagination. Now in 2025 a new chapter is opening: the Database of Hopes is going digital – as a digital repository accessible from around the world – and international – joining with partner institutions in cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Manila. This will not only increase the number of wishes, but also their depth and variety, turning a local exhibit into an immaterial archive of global hopes and visions for the future.
Visitors can enter their wishes in the digital Database of Hopes. Each entry is then sorted according to category and the age and place of origin of the person entering it. In this way, individual wishes can be placed in relation to those of other people. Eventually, this collection will grow into a unique database of global visions for the future.
What kinds of stories are contained in this data? And how can users discover these stories? How can they learn about what they have in common with people from all over the world? In the future, we want to explore all of this with our world map of wishes. And you can help us by simply entering your own wish for the future!