Visualise the Future — Cat O’Neil’s Vision

Check out Cat’s piece, process, artist statement, and our reactions

On Tuesday March 30th, Traveltech for Scotland launched their ‘Visualise the Future’ project, in which they commissioned four Scottish-based artists the create a visualisation of the future of tech-enabled tourism in the next 20 years.

About Cat O’Neil

Cat O’Neil is an award-winning freelance illustrator. Her work uses visual metaphor to communicate ideas and stories and uses a combination of traditional and digital techniques. Cat regularly works with clients including The New York Times, Washington Post, Scientific American, WIRED and more. Check out her work here.

Cat’s Vision — ‘Away’

Artist Statement:

“When we think about the future, how far do we jump? Do we think about an objective idea of a “future”, guided by sci-fi stories, remarkable technology, idealised or dystopian landscapes? Or does the mind go to our personal futures; where will I be in 10 years time, will I have the same job, friends and family? When asked to think about the future of tourism, technology and travel, I think it’s interesting to reflect on both the personal and general.

Many years ago, I went to a Paul Klee exhibition in which a group of visitors were looking at their ipod exhibition guides with great fascination… it was a surreal experience as they were staring very closely at the tiny screens of their ipod guides, whilst standing in front of a huge canvas which they would occasionally glance up at. At the time, I felt it missed the point of going to an exhibition. I wasn’t too sure how I felt about the use of technology in this setting. But things have changed. We learn, we develop, we adapt and we grow. Last year the Fruitmarket Gallery hosted Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller ‘Night Walk for Edinburgh’, a walking tour in which one is led through an interactive art piece and are asked to look more closely at our surroundings. I found myself looking at my home city in a way I hadn’t before, having walked the same routes time and time again without a second thought.

In the years that have passed, technology has grown beyond simply explaining our surroundings to engaging with our surroundings. This is what I wanted to show in my piece.

The creation of my piece itself is a merging of traditional and modern technology, so the message is in the medium. I drew everything by hand with ink and cut the pieces out, arranging them over a flat surface with many discreet, hidden supports. This essentially makes the piece 3D as the separate drawn elements are literally layered, creating depth. I then photographed this and proceeded to edit the piece digitally. The next stage of the process is entirely digital; I use a graphics tablet to colour all the hand drawn elements, using many digital layers of colour and texture to bring the piece to life. The final output is a digital image, so in a way there is no ‘original’ piece.

I feel this is reflective of many people’s engagement with technology; it serves to enhance very essential components of our lives. Technology is just a tool, but I wouldn’t be the artist I am today without it.”

The process

Watch Cat’s project go from an initial sketch to an intricate 3D piece

Josh’s Response (Director of TravelTech)

Firstly, Cat’s image is really beautiful. So much so that it is now my desk-top background. Aside from its aesthetic beauty, it really captures two of the major challenge that needs to be overcome for tourist-facing (Business to Consumer/ B2C) travel technology in the next twenty years:

1. How can technology work in harmony with the place you are visiting? How can technology subtly enhance the lived visitor experience? How can technology move from being a distraction to being a catalyst for greater connection between visitor and place.
2. In a time of lockdowns, when we are confined to our houses or areas, our world is through a digital lens. How does technology create digital experiences of Scotland that feel as close as you can get to the real thing? Is this even desirable?

This is particularly true for Scotland. Cat captures the landscapes, scenery and sense of remoteness that is one of Scotland’s greatest assets. There are overlapping hills and trees with glorious Autumnal foliage. A bothy peaking out in the corner. Bounding young explorers go through a technological gateway to explore Scotland. ‘Points of interest’ are flagged for them.

It made me think of the ways that technology physically interacts with the visitor. Is the future something we wear, rather than take out of our pocket? There are already some great traveltech companies with self-guided audio technology. Geotourist, Hidden Trax and Whereverly come to mind. Maybe the moment for augmented reality glasses will actually be upon us after a few false starts?

Check out a full video of the event here, including Cat’s presentation and full description of her process. Otherwise, read the recap and find the other artists’ work here.

Thank you to everyone who was involved in this project, and to Cat O’Neil for her contribution.

Sign up for our newsletter to get updates on future events and opportunities.