Project #2 Proposal and Sketch

In the past 40 years the earth had became run down from air pollution as well as destruction of forests and oceans. However within this time earth has been restored and slowly put back together. Old Buildings and cars were destroyed to use the materials to build new and improved buildings as well as flying cars. Medical advances have increased significantly leading to people only dying at an old age, which has resulted to an overpopulated world. Large glass skyscrapers where built to accommodate the mass population. Flying cars were invented leading to less pollution in the air. The only way to travel on earth is by foot or bicycle. Grass and tress have been planted everywhere so people can enjoy the earth and its second chance. There are no more advertisements because people want to only notice the natural elements so they remember not to destroy the earth again. The buildings are made of glass so people can always see the earth’s landscape. The flying cars are made of an invisible material so there is no obstructed view of the sky’s above. Clothes are made from a material that can change color so fewer materials are bought. This also applies to all other materials like furniture, dishes and blankets. All of the buildings are the same size and shape in order to save space. Most buildings are for housing; the others are used for workspace and schools, as well as recreational activities.

Assignment #2 Summary and Analysis

Summary and Analysis on reading assignments

The Future 

As to what will happen in the years to come is unknown, however there are many fictional and scientific ideas that have been written on this matter. Some of these written works include “The Machine Stops” by EM Forster, Naomi Klein’s “This Changes Everything” and, a short piece from Mother Jones “50 Years From Now, What Will the World Be Like?” All of these discuss and question as to what the future will hold.

The fictional story “The Machine Stops” by EM Forester written in 1909 portrays the earth in the future. The surface of the earth has now become unbreathable and humans live beneath it. Human contact has become almost nonexistent, since a machine runs everything and everybody.  Life is isolated and people rarely leave their room, communication is run through the machine with a video chat like system. In order to travel to a different side of the earth people must travel in a flying machine above the surface. Eventually the machine fails and shuts down destroying the civilization they once live within. EM Forester portrayal of his dystopian earth is extremely creative and some of his ideas are accurate.

Forester wrote “The Machine Stops” in 1909 and created something that closely resembles what life is like now.  The device he created where people can communicate by seeing each other’s faces is similar to what we have now with face time or Skype. He also talks about education and how people stay in their rooms to learn about the past, this is similar as to what we have now with taking on line classes. One of Foresters main points with the story is the isolation the people are in which is exactly what is happening right now. People today only communicate through their phone and if they wanted they can get a complete education online with out any real contact with people. Forster also shows how the surface of the earth will become uninhabitable similar as to Naomi Klein’s article “This Changes Everything”.

In Naomi Klein’s article she discusses the subject of how the climate is changing and if we continue on the path that we are on by allowing emissions to rise “major cities will very likely drown, ancient cultures will be swallowed by the seas, and there is a very high chance that our children will spend a great deal of their lives fleeing and recovering from vicious storms and extreme droughts.” She begins to explain that at first like most people she didn’t really pay attention to the climate change and that “the science was too complicated and that the environmentalists were dealing with it”. Her article is trying to inform people that the only way to stop the earth from changing is if people come together and take a stand. She touches on that in order for this change to take place people will need to start to live differently and it will affect everyone in a positive way.

Klein’s article on how people should take a stand is very intriguing it makes me think about how the climate really is changing. The realization that we are not doing anything is true, and I think that people won’t do anything anytime soon because we do need the materialistic items that we use everyday. I really like Klein’s statement “Slavery wasn’t a crisis for British and American elites until abolitionism turned it into one. Racial discrimination wasn’t a crisis until the civil rights movement turned it into one. Sex discrimination wasn’t a crisis until feminism turned it into one. Apartheid wasn’t a crisis until the anti-apartheid movement turned it into one” which when thinking about it seems to be true. Klein still thinks that there is a way to prevent more damage to the earth unlike the short piece from Mother Jones.

The short piece by Chip War “50 Years From Now, What Will the World Be Like?” shows how he thinks that we have already destroyed the earth and wants to apologize to his grandchildren and their grandchildren. In this piece he write a letter to his granddaughter apologizing to the fact that we used oil to make everything. He also explains how we destroyed forests and how we “dumped our poisonous wastes in the water, and turned it acid and barren” we were too greedy with the items we bought. Even though he is sorry for what we have done he is still hopeful that we can correct this issue.

I really liked this piece it was different than the other two pieces since this one was in the form of a letter. It was very appealing and Chip War gave a real personal touch to his ideas. I really liked his point that he makes about the silence and how there is so much noise in the world due to the machines that we have now. Which is interesting because it is hard to find silence anywhere today. It is also interesting that Chip War’s and Klein both mention that it will take everyone to come together to change the world.

Even though one is a fictional dystopian earth, and the other or more of a personal opinion as of what is happening right now they all revolve around the future. They spread light on questioning as to what will really happen for our future and if we really should be paying more attention.

Sources:

Forester, EM “The Machine Stops”.

http://archive.ncsa.illinois.edu/prajlich/forster.html

Klein’s, Naomi “This Changes Everything”

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/06/dont-look-away-now-the-climate-crisis-needs-you

Ward, Chip “50 Years From Now, What Will the World Be Like?” 

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/03/what-will-earth-be-like-50-years

            

Projet #1 Virtual Assemblage - Theme - Consumed!

For this project I had to create a 3d virtual assemblage that reflects on being and consumer and the consuming culture. I decided to create a sculpture that showed the things that we consume throughout history and how they stay the same. I included a soda bottle and and a soda can because we have always continued to consume soda. Just like with books we used to read them on paper but today we read books on a device like a kindle, which is why I included a book and a kindle in my sculpture. As well as an old and new TV, a gas lamp and lightbulb, a old and new telephone, and a old gramophone and radio. I arranged the items in a random order, there was no real specific placement for the items. I wanted it to be simplistic yet everywhere you look there is something different.