The Bartlett
School of Architecture
Summer Show 2020
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What if Civilisation Were Given a Second Chance?

Project details

Student Edmund Tan
Programme
Unit PG10
Year 5
Awards
  • Distinction
  • Year 5 Portfolio Prize

What sort of society would people want in the future, and how does nurturing nature help recalibrate society's wasteland into a resilient Arcadia? Drawing from Pixar Animation Studios’ film WALL-E (2008), instead of shepherds in idyllic pastoral visions, the project finds WALL-E (and later EVE) in a hypothetical near-future urban scenario in Manhattan. Inspiration is taken here from the ‘Eye of Providence’ on the USA one-dollar note, which symbolises faith watching over humanity.


Drawing on climate change, environmentalism and consumerism, the eventual symbiosis between nature and built form are events of urban ‘responsibilities’ at varying scales to be encountered in the future. The timeline is considerable and defines the new ages of evolution as the city cleanses itself of past neglect. Like a sliding puzzle, the city carefully shifts with repurposed public spaces and a filigree of new infrastructure. While the robots are the key facilitators, the idiosyncrasies and symbolism of the cats provide the heart and wit for this eccentric redefinition of the Arcadia romance. This cautionary tale does not promise ‘happily ever after’ in which a clean planet is handed back to humans, but aims to bring awareness, decelerate our current fast-paced society and embrace climate change as a resource.

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