WHAT FUTURE AWAITS US?

Recreate Saigon in a Futuristic Setting

Digital Mixed Media

The work "What Future Awaits Us?" starts with my unsettling emotion when observing Saigon City Street. That feeling comes from the fusion between modern and outdated constructions, between Oriental and Western cultural practices, and the surface portrait of a promising economic and financial city hiding underneath an increasingly uneven development, deep social gap, complex society, and severe crimes. I want to exaggerate this idea by using the cyberpunk style, which is commonly known for the presentation of a dystopian future, a decaying society under the mask of fantastic cities decorated by neon lights, flamboyant colors, and the advancement of high technology.

The choice of digital painting and digital manipulation of an available photograph helps me keep the realistic and unique characteristics of Saigon, such as the Art Deco architecture representing the historical mark of French colonialism, the Bitexco. At the same time, I can freely add novel and fictitious values, creating a vision of Saigon that is familiar to the viewer but strange at the same time. The video format delivers lively effects as an actual capture of a real-life scene, a fantastic future city view. The music choice adds to the mood and tone of a dystopian and unsettling future scenario. Finally, the AR presentation forces the audience to look at the original image of the current Saigon during the daytime first; this can help them make a comparison between the two scenarios.