Dystopia For the Ages

Since I was a young child that was enthralled with video games, I have always loved the dystopian genre. Granted, back then I didn't know that was what it was called. It definitely is could explain why I love this kind of thing.

Of course, normally dystopian art is not as cute as this 8-bit variety. Often it is dark as fuck. Other times it is popular and mainstream... think like the popular Mad Max series. The point is, dystopia, as an art form, is a wide range form that can be seen as sci-fi, futuristic and sometimes even fantasy. Because of this, you may get a mixed result if you ask others what they think of when they think dystopian.

The definition of dystopian, according to the M-W (merriam webster) is:

Dystopian (adj.)
Relating to or denoting an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one.

You may imagine it something like this:

Dystopian art and film is an excellent way of showing the outcomes of our actions. A lot of art and movies show the world through war and/or environmental disaster, which can really be any event that is a global change. Dystopian themes specifically make you think by focusing on the end result. You have to ask yourself what you would do in such a dire situation, as well as ask why did we get here or how. You have a chance to have hindsight from someone living in a possible future... when it is done well.

Good examples of this genre look at the situations from all angles. For instance, in a sci-fi environment, someone invents a drug where all organ transplants work. There is now a guarantee for longer life. That being said, this would also cause other changes. Dystopian will focus on all of the avenues, sometimes focusing on the negative because the bad event has happened. In this case, dystopian may focus on say, the rate of black market transplants and with a longer lifespan how the organs are more in demand.

Personally, one of my favorite examples is Snowpiercer.

If you haven't seen it, it's an excellent movie that shows the world now frozen. There are glimpses of the world before when the world was normal. They now live in a frozen hellscape and the future is bleak.

Another good example of dystopian in a film is the short film Ruin which is you can see here. When I looked it up, it shows that it has been picked up by Fox to be a full-length feature.

The negative of this theme is that it can be done really poorly as well. Don don't get me wrong, I don't like to call any art bad but what I mean is that it can be cheapened to the B-movie level. There are a ton of poorly done movies out there simply because it is a future focused genre and money is often needed for it to be done well.

The Importance of Dystopia

Art is a fascination of mine, obviously. However, the attraction towards this genre, for me, is the ability to think about possibilities, where we are headed and the overall intended consequences of our actions... without having to ponder about the politics or modern symbolism.

The purpose of art is to get oneself out of their element, to make them think and to invoke emotion. Dystopian genres do that by taking a hard look at the possibilities of the present. In many cases, they can even be predictive of the future.

So What Do You Think Of It?

Dystopian art has captured the hearts and minds of many. I anticipate that we will see a lot more in development, especially as we move boldly towards a Trumpian paradise. I have watched enough movies, played enough games and seen enough art to know that it isn't always a bright and sunny future. When technology meets stupidity, there is bound to be some unforeseen consequences. My hope is that through exploring this genre and detailing the imagery of the theme that I can start a dialogue that captures the true form of the art and get people to further open their minds.

Art References

Dystopian Cities Art By JonasDeRo
Cascading Dystopia / Support the Author on Kickstarter!
For More Dystopian Pixil Art Click Here