榕樹上 – Retopia

In Buddhism, the banyan tree is considered a sacred species, its luxuriant foliage providing ample shade and resembling the wisdom and compassionate heart of a bodhisattva. In history, the banyan tree served as a resting place for Indian traders, its dense canopy offering respite from scorching sunlight, and its towering presence serving as a dependable companion during long journeys. The tree comprises two main parts: the trunk and the crown. The trunk forms the core and foundation of the tree's growth, representing its physical connection to the world. On the other hand, the crown consists of countless interdependent branches and leaves, constantly growing and thriving with the aid of water and sunlight. Drawing inspiration from this, I have divided my design into two interconnected yet seemingly independent arguments, visualizing them to be a project.

Trunk: Retopia – The Utopia of Dystopia

Dystopia has become a popular theme in literature, offering exaggerated depictions of real-world issues such as wealth disparity and totalitarian governments. These works utilize despairing portrayals of future life to serve as warnings for people to pay attention to existing problems. Over time, certain elements such as high-density living spaces, neon lights, zoning segregation, and vertical cities have become associated with dystopia, evoking fear among individuals. However, I believe that this sensitivity towards these elements is unnecessary. In reality, many dystopian scenarios, particularly those with cyberpunk themes, depict a foreseeable future for our world, albeit not as bleak. Indeed, increasing urban density and wealth disparity are real issues we face, but in contrast, cities also offer an array of services that continue to expand and improve. Moreover, as technology and civilization advance, our focus on human rights and democracy elevates the minimum living standards for people, although the gap between rich and poor is wider. The common afflictions of human society have always existed, and when they cannot be fully eradicated, we must strive for improvement to prevent these social maladies from crossing moral boundaries. By relying on technological advancements and societal standards, we can continuously mend and regulate our world, ensuring it does not descend into the dystopian future envisioned in these works.

Since the inception of settlements, human society has experienced the massive concentration of populations in certain vital centers, representing the political, economic, and cultural hubs of a society or civilization. These settlements provided residents with the most comprehensive social resources available at that time. Following the Industrial Revolution, this trend of aggregation became even more pronounced, with large cities offering services and benefits that small towns could never match. However, the expansion of cities also brought forth a series of issues, including traffic congestion, urban heat islands, environmental degradation, and increased infrastructure maintenance costs. This prompts us to consider how we can maximize the efficiency of large cities or enable small towns to provide services equivalent to those of large cities while ensuring profitability.

One of the most expedient methods is increasing population density. Within the same volume, higher population density generates greater value and a more diverse range of industries. This is because an equal amount of basic resources and facilities can cater to a larger population, leading to significant savings of social resources that can be utilized for industrial upgrades. Of course, density cannot increase without limit; it must be maintained within the boundaries of human comfort. Excessive density not only strains infrastructure, but it also brings real-world society closer to the dystopian scenarios depicted in literature, as exemplified by Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. Thus, the exploration of the possibilities of urban density forms the primary objective of this aspect. The term "Retopia" in the title refers to the exploration of a utopian future within the framework or form of a dystopia. It is precisely because dystopia is an exaggerated expression based on real-world issues that, when we can find methods of achieving utopia within the framework of dystopia, we can make better plans for the future of reality.

Crown: Emotions - The Boundaries of Freedom

Since the Industrial Revolution, the conflict of liberalism and class has made ideology a primary focus of social conflicts, and this has persisted until the present day. Throughout history, especially during World War II and the Cold War, many national leaders attempted to implement a third way beyond communism and capitalism, but without exception, all of these attempts failed. Apart from the inevitable difficulties encountered in practice, I believe another crucial reason for their failure is that these third ways did not genuinely address the objective supply-demand relationships existing in society. Instead, they placed greater emphasis on catering to popular psychology and idealization.

Whether it was the extreme nationalism of the Nazis, the populism and authoritarianism of Peronism and corporatism, the Chinese characteristic socialism with lingering communist dictatorship, or even the impracticality of anarchism, all these ideologies were formed based on human primitive desires and pure ideals. They all used freedom as a slogan to propagate and maintain their rule, but none of them offered a clear and definitive definition of freedom, resulting in these slogans becoming empty rhetoric.

So, how do we redefine the term "freedom" in modern society? Today, we already have a relatively sound legal system, moral values, and social norms that define the boundaries of our freedom from top to bottom. While they are not perfect, they require gradual improvements with the development of the times rather than being solely dependent on promises from politicians. Moreover, laws are unfeeling provisions created by emotional human beings. Therefore, I approach this issue from a different perspective: how can we define the boundaries of freedom from the bottom up, starting from each individual? I believe emotions are the key.

Emotions are expressions of our sensibilities, something unique to each person. We are easily influenced by emotions, affecting our behavior, expressions, and interpersonal relationships. When we are sad, our emotional boundaries expand, isolating others beyond our borders. When we are happy, our emotional boundaries shrink, allowing us to draw closer to others. If someone violates our emotional boundaries, it can negatively impact us, hindering our emotionally-driven lives and work. Therefore, emotional boundaries are also the boundaries of freedom. When we are free, we are comfortable and unconstrained. Similarly, when our emotions are not negatively affected, we are in our most comfortable state, and it is only under these conditions that our work and life can be most effective. This psychological fulfillment is more realistic and achievable for everyone compared to the extreme abundance of social resources demanded by communism. Emotions are ever-changing, which means our boundaries of freedom are also in constant flux. We need to continuously adjust our surroundings to match our current emotions, ensuring that our freedom is not infringed upon. This requires a flexible living space, allowing us to adapt physically to our emotional needs by changing the people and environments that surround us.

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Yilong Chen

榕樹上 – Retopia