Project Title: Visit to the worlds fair – 2064
In 1964 Isaac Asimov wrote an essay in which he predicted what our world would look like today (2014).
Now that 2014 has passed, what will the world be like in 50 years time?
Everyone talks “building a more sustainable future” but what does it mean? What will it look like in 2064?
Initial Ideas
These are some of the ideas I got whilst looking at futuristic images on google:
IDEA 1: The world has been abandoned for years with no evidence of life. Humans now live in space. This idea resembled the plot of a TV show called “The 100” as well as the Pixar movie “Walli-e”
IDEA 2: Technology has advanced and robots are walking amongst us. The movie “I, Robot” depicts this prediction.
IDEA 3: Whilst looking at futuristic drawings online, I noticed a majority of the images followed the same colour scheme. They mainly used unsaturated colours and hardly showed any sunlight. I think many people predict the future to be a technology run environment where humans acted/behaved in a systematic form. A loss of free-will, humanity and creativity.
IDEA 4: A shot showing the last people on earth. Although I felt this idea was too cliche.
From these initial ideas, I liked Idea 3 the most. It took a different approach to how the future would look and be for mankind by contradicting Isaac Asimov’s prediction. Asimov stated that “The lucky few who can be involved in creative work of any sort will be the true elite of mankind, for they alone will do more than serve a machine.”
Although the concept was good, I felt that it didn’t fulfill the brief, which states we should create a shot based on our own interpretation of the phrase, “Everyone talks “building a more sustainable future” but what does it mean? What will it look like in 2064?”
The key word being SUSTAINABLE.
Definition of sustainable: Conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.
There are many elements to keeping a sustainable environment. Such as clean water/air, renewable energy sources etc.
For this idea, I will focus on the main element, which is air. Trying to maintain a healthy environment by reducing air pollution has been a global issue that organisations have been trying to solve. An analysis from ‘CleanAir in London’ predicted deaths in London, related to air pollution, could hit 2,500 this year. Also, the Global Energy News stated air pollution could kill 6.6 million people worldwide a year by 2050 if nothing is done to improve air quality.
I would like to think that in 2064, air pollution would no longer be an issue. By using natural renewable energy sources we could reduce air pollution and create a cleaner and healthier environment. This is the foundation of my current idea.
SOURCES:
My idea so far
London 2064 is the best eco-friendly city in the world. Due to the improvement of the air quality, pollution-related illness such as lung disease, heart disease, and stroke are no more. Humans are living healthier and longer. Solar panels are used to power everything electrical and mankind is now living in a cleaner and safer environment, with robots as police officers. There is a lot of plants and green life. More plants mean pure oxygen for humans.
I like my idea so far, although it sounds too good to be true. To improve the idea I wanted to make it more realistic. Therefore I integrated social class into the plot. Meaning clean air is no longer a right to everyone, but a privilege.
Developed idea
As we know London 2064 is the best eco-friendly city in the world. The city was reconstructed under a dome that protects citizens from the badly polluted air that contains harmful and deadly pollutants. The environment under the dome is safe with robots as police officers. Clean air means no more diseases. People in the city are living healthier and longer. Due to the long life expectancy, space under the dome has become very limited. The only way into the dome is to pay and the majority of who can are from the upper class. There are plans to expand the dome but till then citizens living outside the dome will have to wait.
The government have turned the majority of their attention to the dome and have abandoned the citizens outside. The environment outside the dome is not safe, the crime rate is higher than ever. Food is scarce due to produce not having the right environment to grow in. Air polluted diseases are extremely common. Life expectancy is 60 years. All the citizens living outside the dome are from the middle to lower class.
So my idea begs the question, Will all social classes benefit from sustainable clean air in 2064?