We invited artists to deepen and expand our understanding of worldbuilding: What materials and languages do they use in that endeavor and why? What world are they after and how are they trying to get there?

Whether working in sound, animation, fashion design, literature, architecture, or ephemeral installation, each contributor in To Build Beyond constructs from a place of hope and aspiration. They see both the pain and potential of this present moment on Earth and offer moments of respite, repair, and release through their practices. From them we learn to embrace the local: our bodies, our geographies, our communities. From these sources of knowledge, we have the resources to sustain ourselves in the long run, if we only attune to them more readily.