Image: Superstudio - Il Monumento Continuo
Fantastic Border
Planned cities and structures that never happened
I'm presenting a series of art talks in the high desert looking at what were, or are, bleeding-edge ideas and technique across eras.
For Fantastic Border, I'll examine the persistent fascination with borderlands as laboratories for futuristic development across political perspectives. These regions are frequently portrayed as lawless, drawn as vacant, and consistently mythologized in the public consciousness.
I look forward to sharing the numerous ambitious proposals from architects, billionaires, railroad magnates, and governments over the decades. Each scheme reflects an underlying motivation: to claim ownership of the future by exerting control over territory.
Many of these concepts originate as artistic satire or social critique, only to be subsequently embraced by developers and planners with earnest enthusiasm. This transformation from satirical commentary to blueprints for actual development reveals a curious blindness to irony. Artists who intended their work as cautionary tales or criticism find their visions stripped of critical context, and repurposed as aspirational templates.
The discussion will also address contemporary border narratives and media representations that lead people to form conclusions about regions they've never personally experienced and can’t accurately describe. I'll open the conversation to explore why these megaprojects fail and briefly survey significant futuristic city proposals worldwide.
This salon-style presentation will take place in-person at Murray Hall. Spring 2025 dates forthcoming. Please share this invitation with others who might be interested. Come prepared to love thy neighbor.
Modified: March 24, 2025