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Super artificial intelligence, nano-bots and genetic modification all have the potential to have devastating effects. These technologies in the hands of the wrong people can lead to a totalitarian dystopia.
Why is it then, that we almost have no emotional reaction towards this existential thread?
Technology is almost always displayed as something cool. We see flying cars and space travel in science fiction movies. The possible downside isn't shown so much.
My work deals between this tension between a possible utopia or dystopia.
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The video below shows the process in making this project.
It was exhibited for a month at Bozar Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels (2012).
I made it out of 1,845 individual laser-cut pieces over a period of one year.
It is built to scale 1/200, so in reality the building would be about 240 meters tall.
Here it is 1m25 in height.
You can find a lot more info on my website Astopia.eu
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Below are some images that reveal the design process.
I started looking for basic geometric shapes I could base my building on.
After that I created a technical drawing in 3D that defines the thickness and position of all the different parts to get a solid structure without having to compromise on the original design.
I exported these parts to a laser-cutter to cut them out MDF plates. Because some of the parts have a sharp corner I had to manually cut off some of the edges in a certain angle with a mini table saw (see video below).
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Below are all 1845 individual pieces spread out on 1 sheet.
I designed and crafted special wooden boxes to carry the entire scalemodel.
