Event
SG - Metropolis (with live piano accompaniment)
Accompanied by live music of Kevin Toma, we watch Fritz Lang’s influenctial film Metropolis and ask: what are the political implications of utopian and distopian narratives?
About Metropolis
Fritz Lang’s influential and innovative science-fiction film Metropolis strikingly encapsulates a dystopian world that raises the question: what are the political implications of utopian/dystopian narratives? Against a backdrop of a futuristic city that went on to inspire many other films, this class-cutting commentary molded around a love story remains as relevant today as in 1927. We investigate: what sociopolitical circumstances kindled this artistic expression? Accompanied by live piano and introduced by Kevin Toma.
About Open Mind Lab series Exploring Utopias: Imagining Alternative Worlds
In a world of both plenty and plenty of longing, rapid digitalisation of our daily lives, and ongoing global crises, how can we make sense of ‘utopia’?
Are utopias a window into a brighter future - alternative horizons to set sail for - or are they false political promises fuelling dystopian realities? Where is the line between utopia and dystopia?
Popular literature and the media brim with dystopian works, whereas the existence of utopias has dwindled. This could be seen as a reflection of our current times, growing disappointment and a loss of hope. Do we face a crisis of imagination and could a renewal of utopias fuel hope? Or can we shed a different light on the power of imagination and re-fuel our abilities to construct narratives of alternative realities?
Come on a journey with us through historical and contemporary works of utopian and dystopia expressed through literature, philosophy and art as we critique and celebrate their contributions, analyse their political groundings and question the place of utopian thinking today.
Across three evenings, we will explore some of the fundamental paradoxes of utopian ideals, such as happiness, freedom and desire. Through talks from inspiring guest speakers, interactive theatre and other engaging participatory methods, come and dream with us, feel hopeless with us, learn with us, and create a unique, collaborative utopian narrative!