Ever wondered what the world will look like when we enter the next century? Yeah, me too. All the time, in fact. But, even without my crystal ball, it’s a landscape that seems increasingly impossible to formulate as the world as we know it continually shifts and changes around us.

A new project from the Scottish artist Katie Paterson called The Future Library aims to capture the nostalgia of the present in anticipation of the future. The public artwork sees 100 books, each written by a different 21st Century author, held in Oslo City Library until 2114. Only then will they be made available to the world.

Contributing authors so far include Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale), David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas) and Elif Shafak (The Forty Rules of Love), with a different author announced for each of the 100 years. Whilst the line-up is impressive, the fact remains that these books may never be read, a message that Paterson wishes to convey as she examines our, the human, presence on Earth in relation to the natural world.

To coincide with these manuscripts, a thousand trees have been planted in a forest outside Oslo. These trees will grow for the next 96 years (100 since the project began in 2014), at which point they will be cut down and turned into paper; paper that will be used to create the books that will line the Future Library’s shelves.

The reality is that the saplings planted look set to face a difficult road ahead, whether that’s from manmade or natural disasters. However, the City of Oslo are working with Paterson and the Future Library to conserve and protect the trees and manuscripts until 2114. For now, visitors can make the trek out to the forest which is 30 minutes from Frognerseteren Station or glimpse the manuscripts on display at the City Library.

As Paterson says, “The timescale is one hundred years – not vast in cosmic terms. However, in many ways the human timescale of one hundred years is more confronting. It is beyond many of our current lifespans, but close enough to come face to face with it, to comprehend and relativise.”

Visit the Future Library’s website to find out more.