Thanks for the reference, Philip! The language of dystopia definitely needs further interrogation like this .. and how do we get to utopia while not robbing its sex appeal? 👄🌱
Thanks Gary! Your piece is a prescient one, given what’s happening with Studio Ghibli atm. Very key point, how do we balance seduction with substance in utopian stories? I’ll bear this in mind for part 2.
I wrestle with the pressures to show up more frequently Philip, and the space needed for reflection and independent forecast.. when prescience is useful for us all to gather intel separately from the media cycle, to get ahead of the cycle and redefine its pace, then it’s truly worthwhile.. like so much amazing dialogue being cultivated on Substack. We’re feeding each other without messengers telling us how to feel. And I want to wonder out loud: what does Ambient Utopia feel, sound, taste like?
Omg yes, love that you wrote about this! Used to think about this all the time in Berlin since it's basically a city inspired by dystopian sci-fi in many ways. I always wondered how much it came to be simply out of a lack of critical thinking - as you say: aesthetics first. Looking forward to the next one.
I loved this so much. I feel like you have read my mind because I have been thinking about this topic for so long.
I believe we need to be able to create narratives that are inspiring change and not only getting us trapped in the "what is the next horrible thing that's going to happen" cycle.
"speculative fiction isn’t about prophecy, it’s about diagnosis."
I'm gonna need to write that on a wall. I'm currently writing my own dystopia series, and I definitely want to warn people away from true dystopian futures rather than contribute to their normalization.
Thanks for the reference, Philip! The language of dystopia definitely needs further interrogation like this .. and how do we get to utopia while not robbing its sex appeal? 👄🌱
Thanks Gary! Your piece is a prescient one, given what’s happening with Studio Ghibli atm. Very key point, how do we balance seduction with substance in utopian stories? I’ll bear this in mind for part 2.
I wrestle with the pressures to show up more frequently Philip, and the space needed for reflection and independent forecast.. when prescience is useful for us all to gather intel separately from the media cycle, to get ahead of the cycle and redefine its pace, then it’s truly worthwhile.. like so much amazing dialogue being cultivated on Substack. We’re feeding each other without messengers telling us how to feel. And I want to wonder out loud: what does Ambient Utopia feel, sound, taste like?
Omg yes, love that you wrote about this! Used to think about this all the time in Berlin since it's basically a city inspired by dystopian sci-fi in many ways. I always wondered how much it came to be simply out of a lack of critical thinking - as you say: aesthetics first. Looking forward to the next one.
I loved this so much. I feel like you have read my mind because I have been thinking about this topic for so long.
I believe we need to be able to create narratives that are inspiring change and not only getting us trapped in the "what is the next horrible thing that's going to happen" cycle.
Thanks for reading Natalia! Really appreciate your comment 😊 Couldn’t agree more, it’s that sticky cycle that’s the issue!
This was great! Specially “the genre no longer served as a movement, but as a moodboard”. Looking forward to the next one!
Thanks so much Florencia! 😌 Glad you enjoyed it. Part 2's gonna be more utopian haha.
"speculative fiction isn’t about prophecy, it’s about diagnosis."
I'm gonna need to write that on a wall. I'm currently writing my own dystopia series, and I definitely want to warn people away from true dystopian futures rather than contribute to their normalization.
Thanks.