“Utopias are the locomotives that move mankind forward. These trains never arrive because their timetable is revised by every new generation”.
Utopia Express is a typographic exploration sourced from the visual language found along Berlin’s railways. Using fragments of everyday signage, the work reflects on the tension between imagined utopias and the lived experience of daily transit. Do utopias exist, and if so, how do we arrive at them?
Perhaps the answer lies in front of us, behind the windows of an old railway carriage.
My work for the program of UdK’s BSUA bearing the same name as the title. The concept behind the artwork was to combine my interest for miniatures and mixed media installations, in order to create an intriguing yet playful piece. A Marklin Scale 1 “Umbauwagen” was used as the base for the installation, combined with several SPI OLED displays that were controlled by an ESP32 chip.
The typography is sourced mainly from railway context, such as signs outside/inside trains, nearby U and S Bahn stations as well as railway themed brochures and advertisements.
Along with the exhibition at Herzberg (Elster) railway station, I participated as a photographer in the creation of the collective artwork that was installed at U9 Spichernstrasse in Berlin. The task was to take geometric photos of hands in public transit setting, such as people waiting for trains, holding luggage, reading books etc.
