虚幻：下一代乌托邦幻想（英文版）.pdf

NEXT-GEN FANTASY, UTOPIAS, AND UNQUANTIFIED LANDSCAPES IN A WORLD OF HYPER-DIGITAL REALISMUNREALITYWe live in a state of hyperreality. As we navigate through the stress and mundanity of our everyday existence and parallel online lives, we are increasingly turning to unreality as a form of escape and a way to search for other kinds of freedom, truth and meaning. What emerges is an appreciation for magic and spirituality, the knowingly unreal, and the intangible aspects of our lives that defy big data and the ultratransparency of the web.The digital world has created a precociously wise and cynical generation to whom “unknowing” is becoming increasingly attractive. For millennials struggling to make sense of their place in the world there is a world that doesnt make sensebut it doesnt matter because its not real. Unreality is the natural antidote to the increasingly clichd themes of honesty and authenticity, and appeals to those who want something beyond the evident and explainable. The digital age has created an always-on generation, for whom the desire to switch off means finding an alternative reality. When hyperbole is stratospheric, where is there thats beyond awesome? Another world, but one that doesnt actually exist. Morning Glory by Klara Michel. From Sabat magazine.UNREALITY 2Recreation seekers (or those with children) are also being catered to by Disney Cruise Line which transports passengers to a “galaxy far, far away” on its Star Wars Day at Sea on selected Caribbean cruises. The program features a Jedi Training Academy and other themed happenings.On a more adult footing, The Burning Man phenomenon has driven a rising appreciation for mind-bending recreational drugs as a means to connect, generate new ideas and explore creativity while camping in the desert. Traveling without going anywhere is gaining traction via ideas such as slow TV, a movement billed as an antidote to the digital age. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation has produced several slow TV programs, particularly of picturesque train journeys and boat cruises, garden birdlife and marathons. UKs BBC4 has plans to broadcast an uninterrupted two-hour bus journey through the Yorkshire Dales, with other magical bus journeys in the pipeline.Although frequent flying and terrorism are eroding any last vestiges of glamour from air travel, airlines are promoting the fantastical and surreal aspects of flying. Air Frances recent lavish “Flight of Fancy” commercial, directed by film collective We Are From LA and set to an upbeat synth soundtrack, features ballerinas, the Tour de France, a fashion shoot and young lovers on swings inside a giant airplane cabin, in an impressionistic dream journey that is playfully retro, evoking the past delights of airline travel. Meanwhile, Thomas Cook Airlines, with the agency Catch, has launched a 360 experience called Fantasy Flight!complete with actors, staff and impersonatorsto promote new routes and aircraft.MEANDERING, MIND-BENDING HOLIDAYSFlight of Fancy by Air France3UNREALITYMillennials have grown up with Harry Potter, Pokmon, Twilight, The Lord of the Rings, Warcraft and Final Fantasy. Technology has provided them with the natural alchemy of magic and fantasy together with reality. This has been channeled by the growth in cosplay and can be seen in music videos such as RM486 by Hollywood actress Rose McGowan, directed by maverick pop promo director Jonas kerlund, in which she morphs through a series of mesmerizing fantasy post-human avatars, blending science fiction and cyberpunk.Fashions references to magic and fantasy include Dolce & Gabbanas autumn/winter 2016 show which embraced famous fairy-tale themes from Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Snow White. Wonderland vignettes with carriages, chandeliers and clocks ready to strike midnight were the backdrop for tinsel-like dresses, sweeping floral coats and stately jackets with gold rope trim.In New York, The Museum at FITs recent Fairy Tale Fashion was billed as a “unique and imaginative exhibition that examines fairy tales through the lens of high fashion.” More than 80 objects, placed within dramatic, fantasy-like settings designed by architect Kim Ackert, were accessorized with garments dating from the 18th century to the 21st, with designers and brands including Tom Ford, Giles Deacon, Mary Katrantzou, Alexander McQueen and Prada represented.Chanel No. 5 video courtesy of Chanel. Fairy Tale Fashion at FIT. Photograph 2016 The Museum at FITFAIRYTALE/FANTASY FRONTIERSUNREALITY 4The Storyteller as part of Fairy Tale Fashion at FITUNREALITY 5These fantastical fairy-tale settings create an immersive experience, already found in art and theatre and an important experiential element in visual storytelling: experience is destination. This has been channeled by the Art Institute of Chicago in partnership with Airbnb to give people the chance to spend a surreal night in a 3D replica of Van Goghs iconic Bedroom in Arles painting.English Heritage is (somewhat controversially) promoting the legend of King Arthur at Tintagel Castle, with the recent installation of a bronze “Arthurian” statue on a nearby hilltop, together with a rockface carving of Merlins face at the foot of the wild and dramatic cliff on which the castle sits. This is the ultimate expression of fable becoming fact.Van Goghs “The Bedroom” by The Art Institute of Chicago and Airbnb, 2016UNREALITY 6We live in agnostic times, with traditional religions increasingly considered divisive and confrontational. Yet theres a distinct yearning for some sort of belief system that doesnt rely on known theisms. Instead, spiritually rewarding (what used to be known as “alternative”) experiences with a positive psychological and even physical impact are taking the place of prayer. Pew Research Center has documented these shifts, finding that the percentage of Americans who are religiously affiliated declined from 83% in 2007 to 77% in 2014. Over the same interval, the percentage who said they regularly feel a deep sense of “spiritual peace and well-being” rose from 52% to 59%.This is being played out via a third-wave New Age for a post-digital generation, which is seeking spirituality through crystals, astrology, sound baths, tarot and tapping. What differentiates this new New Age from its previous incarnations is that the alternative beliefs and practices are now considered serious, irony-free, credible, millennial friendly and cool. Spirituality has a natural fit with the wellness and beauty industries and these have been the first to embrace alternative ideas.NEW NEW AGEFrame It poster collection by Diesel Living 2016UNREALITY 7Sound bathsThe vibrational power of sound as a healing device has its roots in Buddhism and Chinese medicine, but now singing bowls, tuning forks, chanting and gongs are being combined with everything from yoga sessions to facials as the next iteration of social meditation.In New York and Los Angeles, sound baths are available in wellness centers, but dedicated studios such as The Sound Space in Los Angeles are starting to appear. Gong baths at Yoga Arch in Londons Camberwell district involve a gentle yoga session followed by lying down and being bathed in the healing vibrations of a gong. Otto Sound Therapy in Waterloo offers group sessions with gongs, crystal bowls and singing bowls, and corporate events working with companies such as Cos. Facialist Annee de Mamiel uses tuning forks along with jade and rose quartz gua sha massage tools to heighten the balancing experience during her Chinese medicine-inspired treatments.8UNREALITYCrystals Crystals, especially rose quartz (one of Pantones colors of the year 2016) which is reputed to be able to cancel negative energy, are enjoying a revival. London facialist Nichola Joss sends clients post-treatment to the Buddha on a Bicycle spiritual center for specific crystals based on her reading of their state of mind.Crystals are for drinking, too. Burberry make-up artist Wendy Rowe sips “high-vibration water”crystal-infused H2O which is claimed to be somehow better at hydrating and detoxifying than plain water. At Triyoga Camdens Nectar Caf, Blue Moon Dream Water is on offer for post-ashtanga hydration and beyond. The tonic is charged with lapis lazuli and infused with the bright blue anti-inflammatory clitoria flower and cleansing sage. As “higher power” ingredients in skincare products, crystals are on the rise. Wild Medicine embeds gemstones into soaps, while Gemstone Organic uses high-vibration water in its formulae. French beauty brand Gemology draws on a range of powdered minerals as a source of micronutrients for the skin, while Sjl is known for its gem-infused anti-aging skincare. The bodycare brand Prismologie pairs specific gemstones, chosen for their different qualities, with aromatic oils and colors in a range of products designed to energize at specific times of the day. Pantone Color of the Year 20169UNREALITYTop image: Titanium Quartz / Tea Tree soap by Wild Medicine Bottom image: Gemstone OrganicGemstone-infused skincare brand Kita delivers bespoke formulae through an online questionnaire thats designed to ascertain a consumers elemental profile and subsequent relevant crystal. “Consumers are looking to crystals for products that go beyond the idea of beauty and work on an energetic and internal level as well to help people switch off and cut out negativity,” founder Chiara Vania says. The lauded vibrational energy of crystals made them the obvious choice of material for Chakrubs range of sexual pleasure productsdildos, yoni eggsmade from semi-precious stones such as jade and amethyst.10UNREALITYCosmology Astrology apps, psychic consultations over Skype and online tarot readings for those seeking direction are on the rise, apparently mirroring an increase in the diagnosis of anxiety disorders in young women. Clinical psychologist Jessamy Hibberd claims the link between the two is due to uncertainty about the future and a desire for a more directed destiny. The mystical appeal of the stars and space transformed the department store Selfridges Christmas 2015 windows. In store, an adult grotto called the Astrolounge offered psychic readings and mystic workshops.Los Angeles nail salon Enamel Diction offers “colorstrology” appointments to help guide clients to choosing the right nail color for their star sign and energy levels. At Lush Spa, an immersive cosmic experience sees treatments accompanied by palmistry and music from Gustav Holsts The Planets.Scorpio window display as part of Journey to the Stars series at Selfridges December 2015UNREALITY 11Aries window display as part of Journey to the Stars series at Selfridges December 201512UNREALITYSurreal imagery couldnt be more opposed to the recent trend for gritty user-generated reality. Although both are a backlash against a digitally perfected world, new images that reference otherworldly and supernatural scenarios are chiming with a desire for psychological escapism. This is channeled by photographers such as Tim Walker, known for his dreamscapes and dark fantasy worlds. Walker gathers and blends imagery from the vast and eclectic visual palette available to this generation of image makers and visual storytellers, and, in doing so, creates distinctive stories and dreams.Autumn/winter 2016 fashion shows and advertising campaigns played around themes of fantasy and fairy-tale scenarios. Yohji Yamamotos dark, gothic tableaux featured models with cartoonish features, while Guccis pre-fall 2016 campaign was set in a tropical aviary filled with exotic birds, with models wearing the more fantastical pieces from the houses dressing-up box. The launch issue of Beauty Papers, a new magazine dedicated to challenging conformist standards of beauty, is themed around the idea of “plastic” and offers an alternative beauty reality featuring non-digital distortion and manipulation of the face, hair and body using plastic materials. POST-REALITY IMAGERYDefinition of Japanese Kawaii for Marukome by Dentsu, Japan, March 201613UNREALITYMTVs “Tagline Here” commercial features a stream of disjointed surreal scenarios, as does a Japanese commercial for miso soup which plays around the definition of kawaii (“cute”). Prophesying a return to fantasy, Pam Grossman, director of visual trends at Getty Images, says our picture searches reveal as much about us as they do about the world, and bridge the gap between aesthetics and sociology. She believes that the prevalent social-media visual realism of recent years has reached saturation point, and that a reaction to this is surrealism in the form of enhanced and fanciful worlds and landscapes with a bold visionary feel, and “images that have a sheen of the fantastical, the surreal, or the speculative.”Beauty Papers, Issue 114UNREALITY2016 marks 500 years since Thomas More wrote Utopia. He was the first to give a name and form to an idea that has captured human imagination throughout history: his countercultural text rejected contemporary values while expressing hope for a new and perfect society. The anniversary chimes with current concerns about the explosion of technology and big data.To celebrate the occasion, Londons Somerset House has launched “Utopia 2016: A Year of Imagination and Possibility,” a year-long program spanning the realms of art, society, fashion, design, architecture, theatre, film and beyond with a strong community-spirited and grassroots feel. Alongside this, Somerset House also recently presented Big Bang Data, a major exhibition about the big data explosion of the 21st century, with bright comic superhero graphics designed by Morag Myerscough to accentuate the power and scope of data and its potential for doing good, along with oversized screens and sound design for data visualization.A more visceral and immersive Utopia exhibition was launched last summer by film-maker, writer and artist Penny Woolcock at Londons Roundhouse. The fantasy-world installation was created in collaboration with Block9, and used narrative soundscapes of Londoners stories. Introducing it, she quoted Guy Debords The Society of the Spectacle in which he suggests “we have become spectators even of our own lives,” but reminded us that “utopians know that stars are more beautiful than diamonds.”Utopia 2016 at Somerset HouseUTOPIA DYSTOPIA15UNREALITYUtopia and dystopia have given rise to the emergence of ethereal worlds and dreamscapes in music videos, such as the experimental short film directed by Craig Murray for “Checkpoint Charlie” by Ghost Against Ghosts Christopher Bono. This dark, psychedelic sci-fi visual narrative is combined with hypnotic vocals, post-rock textures and romantic orchestral symphonies by Bono, film soundtrack mixer Satoshi Mark Noguchi and the Czech FILMharmonic string orchestra. Pussykrew, the nomadic Polis