Vertical Exile

This project provides a visual description of a city built high above the ground. It protects the land below, as the city is cut off from nature. Humans aren’t here in this city at all. It is inhabited only by creatures. These beings share the same form and do what they do for a reason. They live to observe, control, and protect nature but do not exist in nature themselves. Steel, stone and glass are used to build the city. Steel and stone deliver resistance and stability, while glass permits vision and sight. They support the concept of control and distance. The raised building leaves the city physically and figuratively far removed from the natural earth. The world is untouched and allowed to grow freely under the city with its own unspoiled nature. The main custodian creature within the system is at the core and is its guardian. The creature safeguards the city and the natural surroundings beneath; all other creatures support and watch over the same system. They all possess capabilities based on fire. They mainly patrol and prevent any form from tumbling to the ground. When other organisms try to go down, the guardian grabs them and locks them up. The mechanism of imprisonment signifies control and discipline within the system. When the guardian becomes hungry, it turns toward fire to destroy the captive beasts. The body’s burning up, the ashes being put out into nature. And this stuff comes up into the earth and feeds the land. In this way, destruction turns to life. The city above is a controlled and orderly environment, but the nature down below is supported thanks to sacrifice. The guardian creature is a balance among protection, punishment, and renewal. This project interrogates power, responsibility and the price of preserving nature.