Date and venue: 17/09/2016, London, UK
Ecotopia is a multi-sensory installation exploring the appeal of Utopian thinking in envisaging a sustainable future for our planet and society. Being the first exhibition to explore ‘Ecotopia’ in the UK with the official endorsement of the think tank Green House, it presents the ideas of leading scientists, academics, designers and architects who are currently looking at climate change and sustainable solutions.
This year, the 500th anniversary of the publication of Thomas More’s Utopia, gives us an opportunity to discuss our future and encourages utopian thought in the direction of various initiatives aiming to improve it. The starting point for this installation was Ernest Callenbach’s novel ‘Ecotopia’ published in 1975. It was one of the first ecological Utopian novels to encourage a shift in our values and collective perception about the world we live in and raise awareness about the importance of sustainability and saving our planet. The Ecotopia installation is a contribution to the broad discussion on the shared vision of Earth. Rather than merely speculating, the installation will showcase the visions of important intellectuals who are currently working on sustainable solutions to the problem of climate change. Ultimately, ‘Ecotopia’ aims to propose an envisioning process based on expert knowledge.
The installation will be both a physical and virtual concept across multiple platforms, including its own website and its integration with social media (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Instagram and YouTube) to encourage audience participation.
The team behind Ecotopia has accomplished an impressive variety of achievements in diverse fields of expertise. It includes illustrators, graphic designers, product designers, coders, web developers and educators. Together, using graphic design, typography, drawing, printmaking, collage, digital image-making, and three-dimensional installations, they have created playful concepts in order to spread academic thinking.
For more details, please visit their website: http://www.londondesignfestival.com/events/ecotopia