SMART VOIDS

This exhibit is part of a project based on relationships between urban void and civilisation, their effects on one another, and the threat the future of smart cities has on these important urban factors. This research was tested alongside urban analysis of the 1748 map of Rome by Giambattista Nolli which displays a network of all the open public spaces in Rome in that era.

Comparing the traditional European city plan of Rome to the American city grid we begin to see how the freedom of spatial development varies and how much human history, culture, and identity is controlled or takes over the form of the city and what impact that has on experience. The project delves into the concept of the creation of smart cities. These urban environments, such as the New Songdo city in South Korea, grow from greenfield sites at fast rates. Although there may be an abundance of advanced technology improving the lifestyles within these cities, they are often void of culture, identity, and history. With the increased technological involvement, we begin to see the control of urban space being less so from society and more from the likes of artificial intelligence and data results.

The final piece is an expression of the essay discourse. Rather than being a replica of Nolli’s Rome, it is an expression of how the lack of access and control society has over their own space may result in ‘empty cities’ where everything is pre-orchestrated and privatised. The grid represents a city that hasn’t been impacted by civilisation. The silicone hands represent soulless artificial life, almost encapsulating the idea that without the control of our own spaces, history, and culture we are also empty and robotic-like machines.