Umwelten: The Green People
By Traumnovelle
Following the worldwide ecological crisis of the twenty-first century, humankind establishes its new settlements in green megacities that take the form of wild mountains and landscapes. Humans live in very close relationship to an idealised form of nature. However, in order to sustain their inhabitants, these cities need to occupy the hinterland with fully controlled productive elements. Fields of wind-towers, solar panels, biofuel crops, infinite rows of greenhouses for mass organic foods, data centres, and automated factories all maintain the quality of life and levels of comfort of this civilization. The ideal, natural city is thus opposed to the rationalised, exploited landscape. A space designed without humans that, out of sight, ceases to exist.
The Green People is composed of a series of eight images accompanied by a fictional text that narrates, from the viewpoint of the city control entity, one man’s nascent awareness of the limits of the utopian system. The project aims to raise awareness ofa possible rise of ecofascism and AI management for the greater good.
Bio
Traumnovelle is a militant faction founded by three Belgian architects: Leone Drapeaud, Manuel Leon Fanjul, and Johnny Leya. Traumnovelle uses architecture and fiction as analytical, critical, and subversive tools to emphasize contemporary issues and dissect their resolutions. Traumnovelle alternates between cynicism and enthusiasm all the while advocating for critical thinking in architecture. Traumnovelle champions a multi-disciplinary approach with architecture at the crossroads. Traumnovelle distances itself from current forms of naive architecture and refuses to glorify the mundane. Traumnovelle sides with those who have not sacrificed ambition and criticism.
