In an essay for the Guardian newspaper, Nigerian writer Ben Okri calls for existential creativity that expresses the end of time for the human species. He is uneasy with our delusion of living a normal life despite the insurmountable facts and warning signs of our final days on earth. He laments our failure to confront the end of things, which he argues will help us get through the worst of our fears. Like writers from the past, he contends that facing the dark times will open up a new consciousness, reframe our values and awaken us to the crises and possible futures.
As a writer, Okri questions his craft's fundamental meaning and purpose at the end of time.
"If you knew you were at the last days of the human story, what would you write? How would you write? What would
your aesthetics be? Would you use more words than necessary? What form would poetry truly take? And what would
happen to humour? Would we be able to laugh, with the sense of the last days on us?" 1.
The existential questions posed by Okri are poignant and equally relevant for an architect. In this studio, we will imagine and design the LAST HOME as we drift closer to the near-terminal stage of our existence.
1. Okri, Ben. (2021, November 12). Artists must confront the climate crisis – we must write as if these are the last days. Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/12/artists-climate-crisis-write-creativity-imagination.
As a writer, Okri questions his craft's fundamental meaning and purpose at the end of time.
"If you knew you were at the last days of the human story, what would you write? How would you write? What would
your aesthetics be? Would you use more words than necessary? What form would poetry truly take? And what would
happen to humour? Would we be able to laugh, with the sense of the last days on us?" 1.
The existential questions posed by Okri are poignant and equally relevant for an architect. In this studio, we will imagine and design the LAST HOME as we drift closer to the near-terminal stage of our existence.
1. Okri, Ben. (2021, November 12). Artists must confront the climate crisis – we must write as if these are the last days. Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/12/artists-climate-crisis-write-creativity-imagination.
Interim Review
Final Review
Public Screening at the Projector
