A Retro-Futuristic Utopia
To begin our narrative, we must first ask ourselves: What is a Utopia? Philosophers and writers have asked themselves the same question, and their writings picture dozens of different utopic scenarios. From Plato to Marx, from Thomas More to H.G.Wells, their texts led us to reflect on our society and what we seek to achieve for humanity. From the most fantastical to the more cynical utopic scenarios, the concept of Utopia generally dwells on the balance between the individual and collective needs, the harmony between the happiness and freedom of the individual and the collective necessities of his community and the whole of society. In that way, the concept of Utopia is deeply connected to each individual’s personal view of the world, his thoughts, and experiences, as well as the collective needs, flaws, and challenges of each society in its time. To think about a Utopia is to think about the future we would like to achieve for ourselves and the others around us, it is to dream about the society we would like to be a part of. To wonder what the future would be like has always been part of our society’s collective imagination. For the last centuries, humanity has imagined many different futures.19th-century illustrations depict futuristic cities with dozens of airships, balloons, and machines assisting or replacing humans in toilsome tasks. Concept arts from the ’50s and 60’s illustrate flying cars, rockets, space stations, and robots. Whatever the age we live in, our dreams of the future always seem to be a reflection of our own time. Our collective imagination is bounded by the necessities, the technology, the challenges, the culture, and even the aesthetics of the present. When we think about Utopia, our thinking is limited to the problems that can be perceived in nowadays society but we, of course, fail to perceive the problems that are yet to come. Imagining the future has always been a tough task, and through the ages, technology has always been the focal point of our dreams about the future in illustrations and books. What technologies will the future bring? What new challenges will technological advancement bring to society? With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence our society is once again fearful about the future and our relation with technology. Technology advances faster than we can keep track of and it once again threatens to change or dismantle the structures of our society. The illustrations from the past have always shown the machines replacing us in laborious tasks as a good thing so that humanity could concentrate on activities that required thinking and creativity, but now, even that seems to be at stake. It makes us reflect not only about technology but about our society itself. Why do we feel threatened by something we created ourselves? Why the idea of a machine doing our work for us is something that causes us fear, instead of relief? In my own personal Utopia, technological advancement has evolved not to turn Man obsolete but to relieve the burdens of his life. In this utopic society, the true value lies in human life itself, not in what it can produce, and every man and woman is free to do what they choose with their time on this Earth without being threatened by poverty and humiliation, while the machines work on the most arduous task, such as industry and agriculture. In this society, universal basic income guarantees that every basic need of people will be attended, to so they can spend their time not for generating profit, but for personal growth. Where people may dedicate their lives doing what they truly love, and work not for greed or survival, but for solidarity and the collective good and advancement of society. Where their work not only is fairly compensated, but fulfilling as an effort towards the collective wellbeing. In this Utopia, people can spend less time worrying about money or pointless consumption and more time dedicated to their loved ones, art, religion, philosophy, and the search for enlightenment. The creation of this Utopic society might seem completely naïve, unreal, and impossible by any means, maybe just as impossible as the things we see in those 50’s illustrations, the families cutting through the city sky in their flying Cadillacs or the hotels on the moon. My predictions for the future, my own personal Utopia is probably just as imprecise as theirs, and that is why I wanted to represent it in an aesthetic similar to those mid-century retro-futuristic concept arts, with a focus on its architecture and urban design. To conclude, I'd like to cite a quote by Fernando Birri, made famous by the Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano. When asked what is the purpose of a utopia, he answered: “Utopia is on the horizon. I take two steps closer, it takes two steps away; I walk ten steps and the horizon runs ten steps further. It doesn’t matter how much I walk, I will never reach it. What is a utopia for? That's what it's for: so that I don't stop walking.”
October Winds: Soviet utopian design re-imagined by AI
Hello comrades! In this architectural narrative, we explore the idea of a Soviet Union that still exists in the present day. We imagine a utopia where Soviet values and ideologies have been updated for the 21st century, and where architecture plays a central role in the expression of this new society. Drawing on the raw concrete forms and geometric shapes of brutalist architecture, we use AI-generated images to create a vision of how this iconic style might be adapted for the modern era. The buildings in this narrative incorporate new materials, technology, and form-function relationship to create an architecture that is both futuristic and recognizable. From public spaces that symbolize the collective power of the state, to housing, office buildings, government buildings and cultural venues, we showcase a diverse set of building types. The images also show the buildings in different states, during the day and night, and include scenes of everyday life to give a sense of the atmosphere and humanize the architecture. The narrative also pay attention to the details and modern elements that make the building look futuristic. The goal is to create an architecture that is both brutal and attractive, respectful to the brutalist style while also incorporating modern design and concepts, such as sustainability and energy efficence. Overall, this narrative offers a thought-provoking look at the potential of AI in architecture and how it can be used to create new and exciting visions of the built environment.
Arch Hive