I WISH TOMORROW (IWT) invites people to anonymously share their wishes for the future —anytime, in any language.

It is inspired by the universal worldwide practice of wishing traditions, rooted in cultural and spiritual contexts. Traditions resembling Turkish Wishing Trees, Brazil’s Fitas do Senhor do Bonfim, Dutch Wensboom Tradition, Wishing Wells, Western Countries’ Lantern Festivals, East Asian celebration of the celestial union of stars Vega and Altair as Qixi Festival,  Japanese Tanabata or Star Festival, etc.

IWT echoes these traditions to create a unifying narrative, bridging people through familiar human experiences. The act of wishing ties communities and participants in a question of the collective future. Shared wishes are projected into the stars, lighting up the sky as symbols of possibility and hope. The idea of publicly projecting personal wishes usually kept privately, came to motivate transcultural understanding, empathy and solidarity.

The project was created in response to the "Earlier, Later" theme of the 2023 Noorderlicht Parade, in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp and the Antwerp Noord community. The Noorderlicht event annually brings dance, visual art, contemporary music, performances and celebration to the Antwerpen Noord neighbourhood.