Learning about the
Futurama from Adnan Morshed’s “The Aesthetics of Ascension in Normal Bel
Geddes’s Futurama” left me very fascinated about the subject. The Futurama debuted
in 1939 and was "a one acre model of an American utopia as it might appear
of the 1960s" (Morshed 74). The closest thing that I can relate to the Futurama that I have personally experienced is the ride "Soarin Over California" at Disneyland. This ride brings passengers above the ground and "soars them over California" as different sights from different cities in California are projected on a huge screen. Similar to the Futurama, one of the greatest aspects of his ride is being able to have an aerial view. It truly gives the passengers a perspective that they probably have never seen before. The Futurama was a lot more realistic and a lot more incredible, however. It enabled the people of the 1930’s to “see
the future” from a conveyor belt that gave them a bird’s eye view. I can only
imagine how wonderful this experience must have felt for the privileged
citizens who were able to witness this invention. The Futurama turned people’s
images of the future in their imaginations into reality. To be able to see a lifelike American utopian plane from an aerial view must have left people in
awe because of the incredible and realistic highways, buildings, cars, etc. But
more than what they saw with their eyes, it must have been so amazing for the
people of the 1930s to know that such technological advancement was possible.
It surely would have left me very excited and very curious to find out what
other inventions and advancements will come to be in the near future.
Couldn't agree more! Speaking of my own connection with the Futurama would probably be the TV show Futurama. In that animated show people can do intergalactic travel, facetime with friends through holography and have all other awesome technologies. Even thought some of them are still unrealistic, but others like holography or 3D printing are so close to our lives. I am sure the feelings we have right now towards some future technologies are just the same as people back then when they first learnt about flying an airplane. Now flying in a commercial airplane has become such an ordinary thing for us, I think most of the credit has to go to all those people who sacrificed during their flights throughout the history, especially those first persons who flew across the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, they have contributed so much for the development of aerial travel. Meanwhile, I think we should hold the same optimism as well as awe for the future technologies cause one day, they may actually come true.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on my post! :)
DeleteI have never seen that TV show but it surely does sound very interesting! I am sure that the show would have definitely made people desire to have those technological advancements in the future. (I mean, how neat would that be, right?) And I do agree that it is that same feeling of desire and excitement that the people of the 1939 World's Fair felt after experiencing the Futurama.
I like that you pointed out how flying is now so common to us that we don't think much of it. I think so too. Flying has become pretty ordinary to people (especially to those who are fortunate enough to go on plane rides every once in a while) just because it has been around for a while and has become quite commonplace. But back then, since it was truly out of the ordinary, it really sparked excitement and awe in people. I like how you pointed that out because I think it really does apply. And more than that, it goes beyond flying. It's so incredible how the things that may be trivial to us now were once just someone's idea and were once things that people might have thought were so out of reach. It really makes me realize how much we have grown technologically and scientifically. But more importantly, it makes me so grateful for all the things, that although we frequently take for granted, are honestly so incredible and so helpful for us to have.
You said that the new models were very astonishing to the people viewing them, and I agree... but I also think that many people feared progress. In the reading, Bel Geddes said that "How out of place the moldings and gadgets that we see on our
ReplyDeleteautomobile would appear if we saw them on an airplane!", which makes me think that in a way, technology was advancing faster than it ever was. Just like in today's society, so many new technologies are available and improving almost overnight... it makes you wonder what's next. I do feel like there were also a lot of opinions on the fact that flying machines were still a bit frightening, but that comes with any new gadget that people aren't used to. The flying industry definitely did try to sell it with a certain degree of safety and comfort that people could enjoy. Sometimes, the possibilities of the future seem so limitless that fear arises.
Thank you for commenting! :)
DeleteI really like your point about advancements, while inciting excitement, also incites fear in people. I think that point is so valid and really holds true even today. I suppose fear really just comes with anything that is unknown. Although we may be excited and curious, we naturally fear what we don't know or what is uncommon to us. But knowing that the possibilities are endless, I am just glad that we don't let fear overpower our curiosity....or at least I know that is our hope.
I enjoyed this post, especially the mention of the importance of aerial perspective. I think this is a crucial idea to note, especially in terms of identity and psychology. The exhibit was of a highly modernized, futuristic city that was portrayed as drastically improving upon the current metropolies of that time period. The placement of the viewers high above the Futurama gave them a position of clear power and the subtle implication that they were masters of this future city. Bel Geddes gave the power to the spectator in the Futurama exhibit as a way of creating a realization and an actualization of it in their minds. And as the future unfolded, the period of years directly after the second world war witnessed an American nation being the strongest and most prosperous in its entire history. This idealized future vision was realized.
ReplyDeleteYour understanding of the reading is as same as mine and I agree how impressed they must have been not just because of what they were seeing but how they were seeing it. All the technological measures people took to put up that display itself is an advancement towards a 'prosperous' future. Even now, I still would be awed if I were able to experience the futurama simply because of the special effects even though I live in the twenty-first century. The display would have given so much hope to people in such a way that they would know that they can get out of the depression.
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