Protopian Futures - by Monika Bielskyte and Mario Mimoso

The aim of these visuals below was to depict a more inclusive future world, far from the worn-out western scenario and eschewing the oppressive patriarchal western culture lens, where BIPOC people representative of diverse cultural backgrounds and gender expressions have a central role. One of our main goals was to challenge ageism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and the resulting erasures in Sci-Fi concept design. Hence, our characters are strong, powerful women and non-binary people. Our depictions focus on care, radical tenderness, and celebration of life rather than violence, conflict, and isolation like traditional Sci-Fi.

Image by Bielskyte, Monika, Mimoso, Mario via https://www.behance.net/gallery/103218949/Protopian-

World-Designs-w-Monika-Bielskyte

The key thing was to show that bleeding edge technology can also be used for purposes other than warfare and surveillance, but rather as a form of self-expression, art, or to help both humans and the planet we inhabit. Instead, we wanted to encourage people to connect technology with tattoos, fashion, music, parades, and dances. Prosthetics that are not militarised but rather enhance our human and artistic abilities, and drones that are not meant to surveil citizens but interact both with humans and genetically modified and improved bioluminescent plant life in the city. The bodies of our characters are adorned with animated tattoos and wearable devices that do not encode the workings of a police state but are the extensions of their selfhood, cultural and gender expressions.

Image by Bielskyte, Monika, Mimoso, Mario via https://www.behance.net/gallery/103218949/Protopian-

World-Designs-w-Monika-Bielskyte