“A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at, for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing. And when Humanity lands there, it looks out, and, seeing a better country, sets sail. Progress is the realisation of Utopia.” - Oscar Wilde

 

Bishop Thomas More was the first person to use the word ‘utopia’ to describe the perfect imaginary world and express man’s longing to create the perfect society, in 1516. His ‘Utopia’ was a political satire designed to expose the social injustice and political corruption of his time. More’s ‘Utopia’ is a surrealistic island, a vision of England, described as a sufficient society where social cohesion and equality are the precondition for wellbeing and happiness. 

​

Today, ‘Utopia’ is literature of social commentary: social criticism of what is and social suggestion of what could be. Realising utopia to reality is manifesto. It challenges our perception of various facets of contemporary social life and politics and helps us to identify issues and suggest solutions for improvement.

​

My definition of design is the way to find answers to the critical question “how to make a better society and a better quality of life for all?"

 

For me, utopian thinking inspires the ambition to realise a vision of a better future. It refines an underlying problem, reframes the context and explores possible ways to experiment without restriction.

 

Utopian thinking and vision are controversial because the concept of utopia seems surrealistic and imaginary, particularly in these dark, neoliberalist times. However, it facilitates a way for me to explore the possibilities of making a better world as well as reawakening my hope in its possibility. Utopia is a non-existent place in reality, but we can try to reach out with imagination and desire to improve the quality of all our lives through design. Even though it takes perseverance and time, it is driven by the implicit momentum of the promise of realisation.

​