The Last Tomorrowland
finished date: 2021 May
material: Foam, paper, plastic, resin, trash, and wood
The Last Tomorrowland proposes the blueprints and planning for a theme park resort constructed on the largest floating trash island between California and Hawaii. The project unveils the intricate meaning of trash that underlies the vivid colors of the amusement park while showing business exploitation from a socioeconomic perspective. This is the Last Tomorrowland: all the highlights of our human inventions of past, present, and future are gathered in one big, bright ticket in your hand.
The project narrative is executed with a corporate perspective of a theme park resort development proposal commenting on the geopolitical dynamics of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the socio-economic behavioral effects of business exploitation of natural resources. The proposal suggests that in the foreseeable future, corporations would be able to bring capital to the middle of the Pacific Ocean by densifying the ocean debris into a floating island and further on constructing infrastructure for profits. The only way to prevent the island from sinking is to generate a stable source of waste which will be fulfilled by the theme park resort. The circular economy model soon brings in support from NGOs and government funding to fast-pass the construction. And for millions of families in the United States, this vacation resort just a three-hour flight from the west coast is destined for success.
The relationship between trash and theme park is the first layer of this joyful journey with environmental awareness and colonizing natural resources issues. The reconstituted trash waste seems nothing harmful while supporting the foundational economic formula of this development. The great contrast hides under the similarity between the endless need for waste and the endless desire for revenue. The second layer brings the audience into the amusement park atmosphere while emphasizing the dissonance of the trash-themed park. Whether a resort island full of trash could provide enough attractions and entertainment for families to spend a day or two will remain questionable, but the efforts of branded facilities and corporate sponsorships are the golden template of how capitalism finds its way into our lives. The last layer of the project shows the blueprints and plans behind the attractions that fulfill the desire and the visual component that attracts the public's attention.
For hand drawings of The Last Tomorrowland, please visit: riochen.com/works/tmrlanddrawings
This work was featured in :
SAIC Gallery in Chicago, USA
Terrain Biennial International Public Art 2021 in Chicago, USA
LiTang Gallery in New York, USA
