Project Status : Utopian Narrative
Project Type : Blankspace Fairytales 2019 Competition
Design Team : Marisa Dewi, Vincent Heryanto
Project Type : Blankspace Fairytales 2019 Competition
Design Team : Marisa Dewi, Vincent Heryanto
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I’m leaving shortly, Sakkha {Enter}
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Will you still be online up there? {Enter}
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I wish I could. They said it’s possible, maybe a slight delay when I’am farther. Can you spot my craft?. {Enter}
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It’s difficult for me to see, there are trash collectors flying above me. It feels like night time here. It makes the city bubble look so bright. {Enter}
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I wish one day you’ll have a sky without shadow. I need to go, Talk to you soon {Enter}
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{Logging off}
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Will you still be online up there? {Enter}
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I wish I could. They said it’s possible, maybe a slight delay when I’am farther. Can you spot my craft?. {Enter}
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It’s difficult for me to see, there are trash collectors flying above me. It feels like night time here. It makes the city bubble look so bright. {Enter}
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I wish one day you’ll have a sky without shadow. I need to go, Talk to you soon {Enter}
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{Logging off}
I look down at the vibrancy of the glowing bubble amidst the shadows. I know he’s there. In the dark, maybe on the top of the hill. That’s his secret place for spacecraft spotting. Sakkha told me once that they never have a single clear day without shadow. The sky is filled with trash collectors. Only those one who work for the organisation or can afford to pay the rent can live inside the bubble. The outsiders call it the Bulb. The algorithm works like a magnet, it will chase the trash collector away. Those who can’t afford it live with the shadow cast on them. Sometimes it can last days, depending on wastage capacity. The longest was 2days. “It’s better than having those garbage cubes cover all our land”, Sakkha once said.
“Bumi, please fasten your seatbelt. We will take off in 15 minutes,” My personal assistant, Siri, spoke to me and started projecting our flight path in my live-log. I feel excited more than anxious. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to feel excited. Maybe he was right, I choose to leave and detach myself, maybe I’m no longer one of them.
“Bumi, it’s ok to use your live-log now, only an hour I’m afraid because we need to start our meeting after that. Living room, just in case you forgot,” Siri smiled to me and my live-log went off again.
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Hi, I’m 100 mil km above the Earth. I saw on my wristband we will do the orbit transfer next month. And, the pictures you’ve sent…I’ve seen it. The media told us the truth, and we never listened. Or maybe I choose not to listen {Enter}
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Bumi… {Enter}
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It’s getting worse {Enter}
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They’re officially closing the gate today. People are protesting, but they can’t do anything. The green world proposal they advertised, it’s all lies. Read the article I sent to you. It’s all there. Talk to you later. Remember, delete this message {Enter}
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Hi, I’m 100 mil km above the Earth. I saw on my wristband we will do the orbit transfer next month. And, the pictures you’ve sent…I’ve seen it. The media told us the truth, and we never listened. Or maybe I choose not to listen {Enter}
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Bumi… {Enter}
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It’s getting worse {Enter}
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They’re officially closing the gate today. People are protesting, but they can’t do anything. The green world proposal they advertised, it’s all lies. Read the article I sent to you. It’s all there. Talk to you later. Remember, delete this message {Enter}
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{Logging off}
Sakkha was right from the beginning. I always sensed it, but never thought that the issue is this serious. Maybe I just chose to cover my eyes on this, just because I don’t want to lose the life that I have now. They’ve done it, I’ve done it. I’m part of the system, we build the false hope. I remember the reason I decided to join the organisation because of their slogan.” The Space Debris Collector, striving for the New Sustainable Life”. What can go wrong with it?. Only after I joined, I understood that it was all a disguise. This organisation was once the biggest trash producer on earth, plastic. 200 years since plastic straw were banned from London, and it still remains. Fake transactions were made to clean the cash and fund this escape trip. We all know, at the end of the day Earth is not habitable anymore and we need to leave.
My wristband shows Sol301, today is the arrival day. From the moment the armada made contact with Mars atmosphere, it started to disassemble. The Martian gravity force is one-hundredth the strength of Earth’s and it makes our landing feel like throwing a stone to an wet sponge. Everybody took a deep exhale when Siri announced we have landed safely and started transporting ourselves to the protected quarter.
From afar, I saw the Martian grain-melter robot swarming around creating a circular module, which I presumed would be an extension from the current protected shelter. As we enter the shelter, the fleet automatically deconstructs and reassembles itself into its final form. The habitation units then fall into position and subsequently inflate to complete the pressurized environment. The circular layout of the armada formed the foundations of the new ground. Filtered potable water is stored in the hollow structural framework for daily consumption.
“Bumi, welcome to your new home. Please always have your wirstband attached, we can’t afford to lose you. You’re our greatest asset” Siri gave her greetings.
Once again, I feel the pride, I’m the hope.
From afar, I saw the Martian grain-melter robot swarming around creating a circular module, which I presumed would be an extension from the current protected shelter. As we enter the shelter, the fleet automatically deconstructs and reassembles itself into its final form. The habitation units then fall into position and subsequently inflate to complete the pressurized environment. The circular layout of the armada formed the foundations of the new ground. Filtered potable water is stored in the hollow structural framework for daily consumption.
“Bumi, welcome to your new home. Please always have your wirstband attached, we can’t afford to lose you. You’re our greatest asset” Siri gave her greetings.
Once again, I feel the pride, I’m the hope.
The last contact I had with him was almost a month ago. Meanwhile here, I am just harvesting my first potatoes. Beneath the shelters, there were several hundred ancient cisterns. The largest of this Artificial Intelligence -made infrastructure for water security is located next to my quarter, named after the famous Basilica Cistern. It’s funny that we named our quarters based on places on Earth, as if it was our attempt to feel connected from a distance.
My live-log suddenly flickers, Sakkha’s name appears. I wasn’t ready for what I saw. He was standing there, on the hill. Same hill where he gave his farewell. But it’s all different. The place I once called home was transformed. The cube stacks getting higher, pilled with dead satellites and spaceship ruins. As far as I can see it is only cubes of garbage turned into shelters. Am I too late?
I know that the government already sided with the organisation. They finished the selection process, it looks like dooms-day, when Noah needed to choose one pair from each species to be carried on his boat. The difference here is that the selection process is not based on species. I saw a fleet filled with 10 cars, are cars more important than people’s lives?
I quickly packed my stuff and sent him the log. That’s the only thing which can save my family and all the people on earth.
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I wish you will still receive it. Please read it carefully, it’s all there {Enter}
I know that the government already sided with the organisation. They finished the selection process, it looks like dooms-day, when Noah needed to choose one pair from each species to be carried on his boat. The difference here is that the selection process is not based on species. I saw a fleet filled with 10 cars, are cars more important than people’s lives?
I quickly packed my stuff and sent him the log. That’s the only thing which can save my family and all the people on earth.
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I wish you will still receive it. Please read it carefully, it’s all there {Enter}
Sakkha,
This might be my last log to you. I know this day will come, they will cut me off from any communication line.
Don’t worry about me, share the news with the world. People deserve to know the truth, our lives shouldn’t be ruled by the capitalists. The politicians took control of the media, and the organization made the decisions which determine what actually gets built. They used it to cover their true intentions. The earth was left rotten so later they can be on the spotlight and act as environmental heroes. The cycle stays but that’s how the business works, they said.
Don’t worry about me, share the news with the world. People deserve to know the truth, our lives shouldn’t be ruled by the capitalists. The politicians took control of the media, and the organization made the decisions which determine what actually gets built. They used it to cover their true intentions. The earth was left rotten so later they can be on the spotlight and act as environmental heroes. The cycle stays but that’s how the business works, they said.
We can restore the planet, it’s possible to be done if we stop blinding ourselves. I have my research journal log attached, please use it well.
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I’m sorry to leave you behind.
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Even though I’m far, Am I still one of us?
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{Enter}
END
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I’m sorry to leave you behind.
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Even though I’m far, Am I still one of us?
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{Enter}
END