I'm a huge fan of science fiction and futuristic ideals for humanity whether urban or celestial.

There are images that I find very troubling yet fantastic. Worlds that I would not hope for for mankind, that invoke a sense of anxiety, loneliness and hopelessness, along with wonder and curiosity.

I would love to explore Blade Runner 2019, but Blade Runner 2049 I would never want to happen.

So in some ways, we are actually already here. I literally thought these images were paintings, but it is Hong Kong's monster building & local market.

Artist Joshua Vides

In the late 80s and early 90s photographer Greg Girard documented the last years of Kowloon Walled City, a notoriously overcrowded and lawless Hong Kong

It has been twenty years since the demolition of the Kowloon Walled City. To mark this, the South China Morning Post has created an info-graphic that details the facts and figures of what life was like inside this architectural oddity.

The Kowloon walled city was like a glitch in the urban fabric of Hong Kong; a solid 2.7 hectare block of unrestrained city. Depending on who you ask, it was a Bladerunner-esque slum or a poor, but tight-knit community. Either way, for the best part of the last century, it was the most densely populated place on earth, with 3,250,000 people per square mile, compared to Hong Kong's mere 17,000.

The site of the walled city dates back hundreds of years. Spending most of its life as a Chinese military outpost, the Chinese hung on to the KWC when Hong Kong was leased to the British in 1898, as its location, right in the middle of the territory, made it easy for them to keep an eye on the new tenants - an idea which didn't sit too well with the British.

What transpired next was decades of confusion and diplomatic sensitivity, as both countries sought to claim sovereignty over the area. It came to a head at the end of WWII when the Japanese, who had captured the city, surrendered. China announced it's intention to fully reclaim the site, causing floods of refugees to flee there and creating unease with Britain who intended to continue as it had before.

To avoid putting further strain on relations, both countries developed a 'hands-off' approach to the city, leaving the enclave more or less ungoverned by police, building codes, health laws, or any other form of regulation. The population of the city boomed as refugees and small businesses flocked there to take advantage of this new city where you didn't need a visa, a licence to operate, or to pay any tax.

The population surge continued unchecked, while politicians, for the most part, stood back. The government provided water mains and mail delivery to the city, as well as orchetrating a series of raids in the 1970's to root out the Triads who had taken control of the city's various brothels, casinos and opium dens. By the 1980's, the population stood at 33,000, with most people sharing apartments of 250 sqft or less with several other families. The vast majority of the complex's 350-odd buildings were between 10-14 stories tall and devoid of any input from architects, planners or engineers; their height was restrained only by the proximity of Kai Tak airport.

Between the buildings there was a dense labyrinth of crevice-like alleyways, many only 1-2 meters wide, where sunlight rarely made it down to ground level. When navigating this network, residents would carry umbrellas to protect themselves from water dripping from leaky pipes above. An interwoven series of stairs and passageways meant you could travel from one end of the enclave to the other, without ever touching ground.

Despite its dystopian appearance, extreme poverty and unsanitary conditions, many of the residents remember the place fondly. Most of them recall a close, community spirit, spawned from shared poverty and closeness. In fact, in 1963 when an early attempt was made by the Hong Kong government to tear down the city, the residents formed an anti-demolition committee and successfully resisted the authorities.

However, by the 1980's the squalid conditions had become too much of a concern for the authorities and a joint Sino-British declaration in 1984 set the Kowloon wrecking ball in motion. Despite protests, the government spent HK$ 2.7 billion on relocating the residents. By 1992, the city was empty. Just two years later, it was razed to the ground and replaced by a traditional park; however, not before it was documented by fascinated architects and photographers alike. Today, the only indicator of the site's eccentric history is s small scale-model of the cluster that used to stand there.

https://www.archdaily.com...lled-city/

I guess would hope my futuristic non-dystopian world would resemble more like the hobbit environment...

purplethunder3121 said:

I guess would hope my futuristic non-dystopian world would resemble more like the hobbit environment...

that is Utopia lol

Norilsk, Russia

Marcin Fogler

OldFriends4Sale said:

purplethunder3121 said:

I guess would hope my futuristic non-dystopian world would resemble more like the hobbit environment...

that is Utopia lol

The living green garden on the roof of the Academy of Sciences Museum in San Francisco always reminded me of a "hobbit" type environment...

appointed

a building or room that is beautifully appointed, well appointed, etc. has everything you need and is decorated very well

baronial

a baronial building or room is large, impressive, and built or decorated in an old-fashioned style

beachfront

a beachfront building faces a beach or is very close to a beach

brownstone

a building made of red-brown stone, especially one built in the U.S. in the past

burned-out

a burned-out building or vehicle has no inside because it has been destroyed by fire

carbuncle

a building that is extremely unpleasant to look at

carpeted

a carpeted room or area has carpet on the floor

cavernous

a cavernous room or building is very large and dark

colonial

colonial buildings and furniture are made in a style that was common in North America in the 18th century

comfortable

a comfortable room or building is pleasant to spend time in, for example because it has nice furniture or is not too hot or too cold

condemned

a condemned building is in very bad condition and is going to be destroyed

Corinthian

relating to a style of architecture that uses tall thin columns with a decoration at the top

covered

provided with a roof

curtained off

American separated from the rest of a room or area by a curtain

dank

a dank room or building is unpleasant because it is cold and has walls and floors that are slightly wet

darkened

a darkened room or building is dark because there are no lights on inside

derelict

something such as a building or piece of land that is derelict is empty, not used, and in a bad condition

detached

a detached house is not joined to another house

dilapidated

a dilapidated building, vehicle, or system is old and in bad condition

Doric

built in a plain ancient Greek building style

drafty

a drafty room or building is uncomfortable because it has cold air blowing through it

firetrap

nouna building that would burn easily or would be difficult to get out of if there was a fire

gabled

a gabled building has one or more gables

half-timbered

a half-timbered building has been built so that its wooden structure can be seen on the outside walls

handsome

adjectivea handsome building or place is large, attractive, and impressive

high-rise

a high-rise building is very tall with many floors or levels

Ionic

made in the style of buildings in ancient Greece, with tall stone posts that have round bases

labyrinthine

like a labyrinth

lofty

mainly literary a lofty building or structure is very tall

low-rise

a low-rise building has only a few levels. A high-rise building has many levels.

moated

surrounded by a moat

modest

a modest building is not large or expensive

modular

adjectivemodular buildings, furniture, or other structures are made in separate sections

nonresidential

nonresidential buildings are ones that people do not live in

not enough room to swing a cat

phrase used for saying that a room is very small and there is not enough space to live comfortably in it

open-plan

an open-plan office, house, apartment, etc. has few walls and much open space

palatial

a palatial building is very large with impressive decorations

Perpendicular

built in the style of 14th to 16th century English churches, using tall narrow designs and straight upright lines

prefab

informal prefabricated

prefabricated

a prefabricated building is built in sections that can be moved and put together quickly

rabbit warren

informal a part of a building or town where it is easy to get lost because there are a lot of narrow passages or streets

rambling

a rambling house has a lot of different parts and covers a large area

Romanesque

belonging to a style of building that was common in Western Europe from about 900 to 1200 a.d. Romanesque buildings have round arches, curved ceilings, thick walls, and large pillars

rooftop

used about something that is built on a roof

ruined

a ruined building is old and has many parts that have been destroyed over time

secure

a secure area or building is guarded so that only specific people can enter or leave it

self-contained

a self-contained apartment is part of a larger house but has its own kitchen and bathroom

semidetached

a semidetached house is joined to another house by one wall that they share

service

used by the staff of a building or organization, and not by customers or the public

shuttered

decorated or closed with shutters

snug

used about a room or a building that is small, warm, and comfortable

spacious

a spacious room, building, etc. has a lot of space inside it

split-level

used for describing a room or house that has parts on different levels beside each other, not above each other

sprawl

used about buildings that fill an area in an ugly way that has not been carefully planned

sprawling

built over a wide area in a way that is ugly or not carefully planned

stark

used for describing a building or scene that is very clear and plain to look at, often in a slightly unpleasant or frightening way

tumbledown

a tumbledown building is old and in bad condition

unfurnished

without any furniture

unoccupied

an unoccupied room, building, or seat is not being used by anyone

vaulted

with curved structures supporting or forming the roof of a building

warm

warm clothes and buildings keep heat in and prevent you from feeling cold

well-appointed

formal a well-appointed room or house has attractive or expensive decoration and furniture

euuuh, yes, except that this image is 4 times the thing on top of itself, it's not even very good photoshop, you can see the sections.

OldFriends4Sale said:

So in some ways, we are actually already here. I literally thought these images were paintings, but it is Hong Kong's monster building & local market.

yeah, but most of this is 'sci -fiction/fantasy' images

with some real stuff around the globe that looks futuristic

TheFman said:

euuuh, yes, except that this image is 4 times the thing on top of itself, it's not even very good photoshop, you can see the sections.

OldFriends4Sale said:

So in some ways, we are actually already here. I literally thought these images were paintings, but it is Hong Kong's monster building & local market.

OldFriends4Sale said:

Is this a movie? Which one??

I really appreciate this thread, but - they're not futuristic, except replies #1 and #9. Kindly step it up, Org. Thanks.

domainator2010 said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Is this a movie? Which one??

The Art Of Animation, Francesco Lorenzetti

OldFriends4Sale said:

domainator2010 said:

Is this a movie? Which one??

The Art Of Animation, Francesco Lorenzetti

OK, that's a *blog* - how did you find it??? (ie. are there more/others LIKE it??!! )

domainator2010 said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

The Art Of Animation, Francesco Lorenzetti

OK, that's a *blog* - how did you find it??? (ie. are there more/others LIKE it??!! )

He has a website and I'm on his facebook page, there is no movie caption

https://www.francescolorenzetti.com/

https://twitter.com/franklorenzetti

https://www.artstation.com/frank_lorenzetti

http://francescolorenzetti.daportfolio.com/

https://www.facebook.com/francesco.lorenzetti.71

You mean all the books that lie that say a teenager or a group of teenagers save the world from the corrupt power. If THAT were true, were are those teenagers now?

kewlschool said:

You mean all the books that lie that say a teenager or a group of teenagers save the world from the corrupt power. If THAT were true, were are those teenagers now?

they are getting ready to ride on cool flying scooters or bikes

by Desmond Lo

Urban Uprising

Ruiner by Desmond Lo

About Desmond LoDesmond Lo is a Hong Kong-based visual artist he is also the Creative Director at MMM Studio. Desmond began to develop his practice in London when he began his art studies at UAL with a foundation diploma in animation and film. Further to this, he graduated from the University of Westminster with a BA in animation in 2012. Since the Demond has exhibited his artworks through Europ and Asia.

About the artwork

Desmond is currently the Creative Director of MMM Studio, a creative agency that specializes in content creation and branding for DJs and music artists. Previous workplaces include The Collective (as Motion Graphic Designer), and 3Plus Animation Production Limited (as Visual Effects Artist). As an all-round creative and multimedia artist, his other clients include IWC Schaffhausen, Adidas, CLOT, Casetify and Live Nation Electronic Asia. In 2019, Desmond held 2 solo exhibitions that featured his digital artworks. "Someone Lived Here" at Naked Hub Gallery from 15th – 28th of February, and "Vertical Dreams" at EAST, Hong Kong from 26th of March to 30th of April.

Desmond Lo SMD_COMPLEX, 2018