This essay looks at two conflicts which emerged in my reading of We, Zamyatin’s dystopia and a precursor of 1984 and Brave New World. First, I examine the tension between contentment and freedom, a dilemma which quickly emerges upon entering Zamyatin’s nightmarish paradise of OneState. I then look at the question of the slavishly rationalist OneState…
When airports are excused from democratic and civil norms, they take on many of the characteristics of a police state. With dystopian aesthetics and ostentatious security checks, the airport provides a space for us to examine our political fears, but may also pose a threat to civil liberty beyond its walls. Early on Monday morning…
Last week we caught the end of a very popular exhibition of light-based art installations in Southbank, London. One was specifically designed to induce night vision, so the scout in me was happy on that basis alone. It was also nice to see a gallery with a very playful atmosphere. The photos don’t do the…
The first thing to say about Rain Room is that although it doesn’t cost any money to enter, it is not exactly free. Instead you pay with the most democratic commodity of all, your time. On our first attempt to see it we were told the waiting time would be three and a half hours.…