Lost in Transformation
Departure: This is a story about invention, of novel technologies made manifest by and for a global ethic and agenda...
The world has largely left the ground, there is no need for it anymore. Society has built itself far into the sky, supported by unforeseen advances in construction material and the political will to accommodate the masses.
EU Emissary - “Since the transition to a unified Europe, my job has changed a lot. Without national boarders there’s not much of a role for an immigration officer. Do I miss my time in Brussels? Sure. But it’s not so different these days, and most of the time I still feel at home. It’s all pretty similar, it helps to keep the peace.”
The nature of work has changed. There are new roles, international management, home offices abound. Days go by without physical interaction and colleagues go months without seeing one another.
Out the window spin the rings of direct carbon capture, suspended meters from the buildings exterior. Up and down and all around, propelled by the wind between buildings, their electromagnetic charge nullifies history’s inefficiency of friction.
Supply Chain Manager - “Ich geniesse es, dass ich morgens nicht mehr im Stau sitzen muss und von zuhause aus arbeiten kann. Die Arbeit ist jedoch sehr hektisch und ich kann mich kaum von der Arbeit lösen. Manchmal vermisse ich die alten Zeiten, als wir nach der Arbeit noch zusammen auf ein Bier in die Kneipe gingen.”
Air Traffic Controller - “The amount of air traffic these days is insane, so many mini-hubs and individual aircrafts. It’s all stratified; who gets to fly, when, and at what level. Thank God we picked up half the staff from passport control, who knows what else we would have done with them.”
Isolation has lost all meaning, and so the sentiment of emptiness is confused and the individual bewildered. Virtual reality brings the far ends of the earth into every living room, small spaces where many live alone. At once sedentary and nomadic, experience is extra-sensory but lacks the human touch. There are those who wish for a return to a more intimate experience with others, confounded as they are by the nostalgia that only adults understand.
Digital Nomad - “ Pendant mes années universitaires, j’avais pour habitude d’organiser des dîners avec mes voisins, des soirées jeux avec mes colloques. Maintenant je rentre chez moi j’active la réalité virtuelle, je voyage depuis mon salon, je parle avec des connaissances lointaines. Une unité, isolée et pourtant connectée. Seule, mais jamais séparée de la multitude.”
Education is nearly infinite with access to virtual classrooms, spread throughout the world. Where political borders have broken down, languages have thrived. Children learn three by the time they’re twelve, and those who choose to do so go on to learn many, many more. Spoken through screens, intercultural communication comprises most of the day. But the children are restless and the high speed bridges between buildings make it unsafe to go outside alone.
Child - “My favorite days are physical Wednesdays, because every week we go outside of the city to explore and exercise. Usually we meet at 8 in the morning and fly with the Airbus to discover new landscapes across Europe. It is so much fun to spend time outside my home with my friends.”
Far removed from the land that organised the scale of urban accommodation in years past, man looks out for inspiration. Stars substitute our affection for the sea, and the curiosity that drove us into cities now throws our interests into space. Lost for connection, we search for constellations in the night sky, hoping for some future that feels similar to the past …
Isaac Asimov - “It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be.”
This story made possible by the collaborative effort of:
- Marie Keeling
- Manuel Eberhart
- Olga Schagen
- Catherine Fayet
- David W. Carson
