In 1966, at the cusp of the computer age, Olof Johannesson published the sci-fi novel The Tale of the Big Computer, about the rise to power of an all-encompassing, perfectly rational computer network. But “Olof Johannesson” never existed—the name concealed the identity of Hannes Alfvén, the 1970 winner of the Nobel Prize in physics. Alfvén's novel, a Swedish best seller, inspired in turn a “computer opera” by the composer Karl-Birger Blomdahl, never to be completed or premiered after Blomdahl died of a heart attack. Artist Anna Lundh's research involves investigating the remaining material in order to reconstruct this forgotten cultural history, which ends up connecting dots between people and ideas about art and technology, from Stockholm to New York, as well as to reveal and discuss artistic work methods, process and visions.

Initiated by Swedish artist Anna Lundh, Visions of the Now is a reconsideration of the 1966 Stockholm festival Visioner av Nuet ("Visions of the Present"), which aimed to examine the impact of technology on humanity, society, and art; half a century later, we are immersed in the technology that was still “new” in 1966. Lundh’s project took place in 2013 and brought together international artists, musicians, theorists, and scientists for a three-day festival of lectures, panels, performances, sound pieces, installations, and screenings. What, it asked, are our current visions of the now, and how do we imagine the future? This two-volume set marks the fiftieth anniversary of Visioner av Nuet and contains the catalogue and proceedings of the 2013 festival, new contributions by the invitees, and photo documentation. Archival material from the 1966 festival, with never-before-published correspondence with John Cage and Buckminster Fuller and texts by Alvin Lucier and Nam June Paik, is featured along with the connected history of the 1966 New York festival, 9 Evenings of Theatre and Engineering.