Hernan Diaz Alonso welcomes the presenters and audience to Fear & Wonder: an expedition through the landscapes of fiction, directed by Liam Young, coordinator of SCI-Arc’s Fiction and Entertainment program.
Liam Young outlines the program, and stressing the theme that in a world determined by media, the creation of narratives becomes not only design but worldbuilding.
Hannah Beachler (at 11:49) describes projects on which she was production designer, beginning with Beyoncé: Lemonade (2016). She links this example of Afro-Futurist worldbuilding with her work on Black Panther (forthcoming 2018). Beachler continues by discussing the challenges of a very different kind of project—Moonlight (2016).
Nivanh Chanthara (at 46:10) describes Babiru (https://babiruproject.tumblr.com/), and relates it to his work as a concept artist for Ghost in the Shell (2017).
Lauren Beukes (at 1:12:44) reads from her novel, Zoo City (2010). She discusses her research for the book, including explorations of the Hillbrow neighborhood of Johannesburg, a traditional diviner (sangoma), and herbalist (inyanga), and the conditions of Zimbabwean refugees.
Victor Martinez (at 1:36:50), a SCI-Arc alumnus (M.Arch, 1999) reviews the development of his work as concept artist for Blade Runner 2049 (2017). Like Hannah Beachler, he describes working with only limited knowledge of the narrative. He also describes the struggle to re-create memories of the original movie, while keeping it from seeming “too Blade Runner.”
