#utopian scholastics

[cinema-hallucinations]

Prompt: Create a movie concept about incarnations of various consumer aesthetics. Include both outdated aesthetics seeking a revival and current aesthetics on the verge of replacement looking for worthy successors.

Trendshapers

Tagline: Beyond trends, there's a battle for style.

Logline: In a hidden realm governed by the ever-shifting tides of taste, competing incarnations of design philosophies battle for dominance. When outdated aesthetics rise up against the current trends, a young, rebellious Minimalist must team up with a washed-up Utopian Scholastic to save the balance of style.

The Setting:

A fantastical realm called "The Trendsphere," a vibrant city constantly reshaping itself to reflect the latest trends in design. Each major aesthetic movement is embodied by a living avatar, a powerful being who influences the city's architecture, fashion, and technology.

The Characters:

Kai (20s): The talented but rebellious incarnation of Hyperminimalisn who questions the sterile, emotionless direction design is headed. He secretly dreams of injecting some warmth and personality back into the Trendsphere.

Virgil (50s): The jaded Utopian Scholastic, an older aesthetic long forgotten by the Trendsphere. He resents the impersonal minimalism dominating the city and believes in design's power to inspire and educate.

Arta (30s): The flamboyant yet ruthless embodiment of Corporate Memphis, the current reigning aesthetic. She craves constant change and ruthlessly pushes out "outdated" styles to maintain her dominance.

Neu (genderless, ageless): The enigmatic representative of Neumorphism, a minimalist aesthetic reaching its peak. Searching for a new philosophy to replace it, Neu orchestrates the unlikely alliance between Kai and Virgil.

The Conflict:

Disillusioned with the ever-changing trends, Virgil leads a group of forgotten aesthetics – Laser Grid, Memphis Eclectic, and Frutiger Aero – in a rebellion. They believe the Trendsphere needs a return to bold ideas and emotional connection. Arta, threatened by the rebellion, seeks to crush them while manipulating Kai to promote Corporate Memphis' sterile uniformity. Neu, wanting a smooth transition between trends, nudges Kai and Virgil towards an uneasy alliance.

The Challenges:

Kai and Virgil must overcome their vastly different design philosophies to find common ground.

The forgotten aesthetics, while passionate, struggle against their outdated functionality in a fast-paced world.

Kai must navigate the dangerous world of Corporate Memphis, walking a tightrope between loyalty and rebellion.

The Climax:

The climax is a visually stunning battle between the aesthetics. Virgil uses his knowledge of historical design to create adaptive structures that challenge Corporate Memphis' rigid functionality. Kai, inspired by Virgil's passion, injects a touch of human warmth into the minimal aesthetic, showcasing its potential for beauty. Together, they convince the Trendsphere denizens of the value of balance and respect for past trends.

The Resolution:

A new era dawns in the Trendsphere, where aesthetics coexist and influence each other. Virgil and the forgotten aesthetics regain their place, offering historical perspective. Kai and a reformed Arta work together to create a more dynamic and emotionally resonant minimalism. Neu, satisfied with the new equilibrium, fades away, searching for the next design philosophy to guide the Trendsphere.

Themes:

The cyclical nature of trends: The film explores how design aesthetics rise, fall, and re-emerge in new forms.

Balance and Evolution: The film argues for a balance between innovation and respect for past design philosophies.

The Power of Design: The film portrays design as more than just visuals, but as a powerful force shaping our lives and emotions.

Ending:

The film ends with a montage showcasing the Trendsphere in its new state. Sleek minimalist buildings integrate elements of classical architecture. Vibrant Memphis patterns adorn functional furniture. The city becomes a vibrant tapestry of design philosophies, a testament to the power of collaboration and evolution. In the final scene, Kai and Virgil stand side-by-side, watching the ever-evolving Trendsphere, a newfound respect for each other and the power of design in their eyes.

[aesthetic-otd]

Today's aesthetic is utopian scholastic

[lolcatsaestheticdump]

[skinks]

Use of various visual signifiers typical to the utopian scholastic aesthetic in Chicago’s Field Museum store. The neoclassical elements of the pillars and Greco-Roman mosaic floor, depicting nature and humans in harmony, are contrasted against the use of natural materials, wood, leaves, and photographs of real animals. This design definitely exemplifies the principles of the utopian scholastic aesthetic as described by CARI researchers, i.e. the championing of optimistic education about science, technology, and the natural world. All scans uploaded to the are.na database by Evan Collins

[boookchild]

animal families, snap shot, 1996

[mediummushroom]

take a look, it's in a book, 🌈 reading rainbow! 📖

[spolarium-place]

Utopian Virtual

[roguetelepaths]

I'm feeling mentally unwell so I'm gonna kick a hornet's nest.

Utopian Scholastic is better than Frutiger Aero.

[tyrannodokuro]

i like to describe eyewitness dinosaur hunter's vibe as "dark scholastic"

[dandelionmoss]

[mostly80ssome90s]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ellie (@sweepingswooping)

Not 100% my usual content here, but I've started an instagram for cozy, homey type stuff and the first post on it is this secondhand cookbook from 1995 📚 It's super nostalgic to me with that mid-90s educational aesthetic, I believe we're calling it 'utopian scholastic' these days 🤓

[infiniteartmachine]

"this painting depicts a lady reading a book on the green grass" "a woman sits on top of a lush green hill holding a book" "a woman is sitting on the edge of a tree while reading a book"

[lolcatsaestheticdump]

[skinks]

In some ways this aesthetic is the 'kids version' of Frasurbane, with an emphasis on scholastic endeavors, 'edutainment', and an 'end-of-history' approach to learning. It uses the same classical and 'timeless' typography and imagery with Frasurbane, adding in the aesthetic of 'stock photography collage' depicting the most basic and identifiable depictions of forms and concepts for quick comprehension. This reliance on this style of collage is predicated on two factors in the era; the proliferation of stock photography collections, and the development of desktop publishing & graphics-editing software in the 1980s. Images of flora & fauna connect this aesthetic to the second wave of environmentalism in the late 80s-late 90s.

Evan Collins’ Utopian Scholastic gallery on arena

[boookchild]

animal families, snap shot, 1996

[misterradio]

i think factory pomo will always be my sweetheart aesthetic i just love the geometric stylings. i always used factory pomo style clip art in school projects i thought it was suuuch a cool style.

looking thru that website... memphis jr is also great, kind of similar geometric style with brighter colours. i even used to have the toy used as the example image, and for some reason images of LSD:DE are used as an example lol