Astria Suparak showcased "Asian futures, without Asians" at the University of Michigan—a multimedia performance exposing how Western science fiction misrepresents and misuses Asian culture. As part of the Search Engines series, the event aimed to explore technology from a social justice perspective. Suparak highlighted how Asian culture is often appropriated to serve white protagonists in futuristic settings, discussing the concept of "techno-orientalism." Attendees discussed the absence of Asian characters as leaders and the contrast between the prevalence of Asian culture in sci-fi and their underrepresentation. The presentation sparked discussions on cultural misappropriation in Western media, especially within science fiction narratives.
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