Sonntag, 18. April 2021, 23:03 - 0:00, Ö1

[ DEUTSCH ]

RADIOKUNST - KUNSTRADIO






Radio Utopia
by Toni Dimitrov


PLAY


RADIO UTOPIA is a radio tale about the notion of utopia. It asks the questions: Is the utopia real? Is such a world possible to exist? Where does the word comes from? Who were the first authors that were dealing with these topics and why?

Thousands of years after living in communities, man have dreamed of a perfect world, in which he will be freely realized, and the community will function perfectly. Without restrictions, misfortune, hunger, conflict... Each time carries its own characteristics and its own problems, as far as the functioning of the community and society is concerned, hence the need to fantasize about a better and finally perfect society. That is why every time and every society give its visions and ideas on how it should work successfully, avoiding and overcoming the problems of the current situation. But really, is such a world possible at all and can it exist in reality?

Although the utopia and dystopia might be considered as old as the literature itself, against them still exists insignificant treatment as a literary genre and is seen with underestimation compared with philosophy and science, even though they ask significant philosophical questions concerning human projections for the future of humanity and giving serious criticism towards the current state of the society and time in which it is created. All this seemingly contrived and constructed picture of the future in which technology and science are mixed, unknown worlds and different social systems, optimism and pessimism, existent and non-existent, aside from predicting the future, it can be said that in fact, it is also an analysis and critique of current condition of the mankind and where the society is heading. It does not simply predict the future, but also gives alternative paths on which humanity and the society will develop in the future. And the future of our ‘highly developed’ society is seemingly not so bright.

We can discuss this question on various levels and different directions, especially in giving a new option for the future. What is the perfect system and is it possible to be realized? If it is possible, why it has not yet been put into practice?

The whole situation with the pandemic and the explicit narrowing of (constitutionally guaranteed) freedoms, obviously is an introduction to a new totalitarianism on one hand, but it is a potential for new utopia on the other. In conditions of limited opportunities and resources, we become creative. It is also recommended that children be given as few toys as possible to encourage creativity. Yes, we can cooperate and create a better society. Exactly at that moment we will realize how many things in life we do not really need. This last year showed us that cooperation is possible. The tragedy is that we witness such situations of awareness and cooperation only when we are forced to. Empathy only works when a tragedy occurs, a natural disaster, when we are endangered. All this begins to look like an awareness-raising slap that fuels the much-needed awareness of a better world, of a socialist utopia where cooperation will prevail.

This radio art piece deals with the topic of utopia, giving critics on the degradation of the contemporary society in the context of a capitalistic system, and is giving a possible solution. It is an answer to the systematic pressure and a dream for a better world. It is inspiration for what we are aiming to, a better world, imagining a utopia in conditions of living in dystopia.

Concept, field recordings, editing and directed by Toni Dimitrov
Languages: English, Serbian, Macedonian
Text and voice by Toni Dimitrov (from the paper entitled “The Negative Utopia and The Modern Society”)

Music by Post Global Trio, Motorpig, Krzysztof Kotlinski, Toni Dimitrov & Rhucle, Soloi Sounds, Rhucle, Sebby Kowal, Keys for Eclipse, Whalthisney, Teruyuki Kurihara, Private Mountain. All tracks released on post global recordings and élan vital recordings.

Including readings from the novels Utopia (Thomas More), City of the Sun (Tommaso Campanella), Looking Backward (Edward Bellamy), New Atlantis (Francis Bacon), The Story of Utopias (Lewis Mumford).