Spencer Lowell’s ‘Futures Past’ Examines Technology’s Human Impact
Photographer Spencer Lowell’s new book Futures Past collects images made between 2007 and 2024 that explore how people interact with technology. The photographs range from the Curiosity Mars rover launch and a Fukushima reactor door to a butt-testing robot and an automated milking system. The monograph was designed by Luminosity Lab and covers assignments across the USA, Chile, Norway, and Japan.
Spencer Lowell’s Futures Past gathers photographs made over nearly two decades, from 2007 to 2024. The project spans assignments in the United States plus Chile, Norway, Japan, and the Netherlands, and was designed by Luminosity Lab. Its introduction comes from writer and climate advocate Daniel Sherrell.
Subjects include the Curiosity rover’s 2011 launch, a Fukushima Daiichi reactor door, a seating-testing robot, an automated milking setup, a laboratory fire tornado, gold refining, NASA communications testing, ocean microplastics, captive dolphins, and retired spacecraft. Lowell, a Los Angeles native, often examines where engineered systems and natural environments meet.
Books like this may shape how general readers, designers, and technology workers perceive automation and scientific infrastructure. By pairing awe with unease, the images could prompt viewers to question convenience, labor, and environmental costs. Museums, educators, and photography audiences may use it to discuss human-machine relationships. Its impact may remain cultural rather than policy-driven, influencing awareness and conversation rather than directly changing industry practices.