Sergio González Gómez y yo decidimos participar en el concurso FAIRY TALES 2015, en el que se proponía la creación de un cuento de temática arquitectónica. Debía ser una creatividad inédita, redactada en inglés, y con cinco imágenes directamente relacionadas con el texto. Nuestra propuesta surgió de la preocupación por el futuro del mundo en el que vivimos, en el que una humanidad endiosada está acabando con todos los recursos naturales sin contemplaciones.
Sergio González Gómez and I decided to take part in the FAIRY TALES 2015 competition, which proposed to create a fairy tale with an architectural theme. It was suposed to be an inedit art work, written in English, containing five images directly related to the text. Our proposal comes up from our worry for the future of our world, in which a stuck-up humanity is puttin and end to all natural resources without any meditation.
GROW IN (TO THE END)
[01]
In a super-populated world where room is scant and population grows out of control, a drastic change seems inevitable. There is no trace of what was once known as the ‘blue planet’. They are on the brink of the abyss. The world is overloaded with buildings, packed with monsters made of steel and concrete. Solar radiation has increased to such levels, that old trees could not abide it; they were replaced by gigantic machines with artificial leaves able to harness solar energy. Cities have expanded in a rather alarming way, surpassing any possible foresight. After an upturn of the average sea level, waters are now at their lowest ebb, salt concentration is rising to unparalleled records. Global power is at stake as the situation craves for a change. Finding a solution for super-population is crucial.
[02]
For months political powers have been debating over the eventual extinction of humankind. After myriad proposals, world rulers took the decision to swap to a new model of growth in the cities, a revolutionary idea which would leave the ability to keep living on this planet in the hands of people. Thus a message was spread across the length and breadth of the world,
‘Let’s do it, keep growing above every corner of this world, nothing can stop us. Our species, Homo sapiens, have always evolved as the smartest creature of our planet. We cannot simply resign ourselves to extinction like the dinosaurs did; we are way better than that. We discovered fire, created the wheel and have survived to any natural disaster that we have bypassed on the way. When trees ended their course in this world, we kept moving forward until we encountered the solution of techno-trees. We have built as high as human understanding and materials could allow. Let’s do it again, let’s build a brave new world, but this time don’t grow the highest, grow as deep as we can! Grow in! Grow into the Earth!’
[03]
This message was heard in every corner of the planet, having the same reception everywhere, a frightening silence that lasted for barely a few seconds, a calm that preceded the ecstasy. The crowds, exhilarated, started to shout ‘Grow in! Grow in!’. Millions of volunteers gathered with the will to join in, the roar of thousands of bulldozers took over every city in the world, as if the Earth were screaming with a desperate yell of help. Spades and excavators were relentlessly removing the ground. Those little creatures that used to cherish and cultivate the land were now tearing it apart at the shout of ‘Grow in! Grow in!’, thus echoing the slogan launched by their leaders. There was no single voice of disagreement, no opposition, no objection, such things were impossible. Single-mindset reigned above all as it could not be otherwise; they were giving pace to a completely new age, a new society with a place for everyone. The message had soaked through people’s spirits. The first structures started to spring up; they braced the ground alongside the tunnels in the event of a landslide, they made conductions for the groundwater and kept digging day after day for months and years. Their ambition had no limits although it was for a good cause – gaining a space for everyone. World leaders sent another message to the people,
‘Citizens of the world, our plan is working to perfection! We haven’t stopped gaining space since we started excavating and our population keeps growing, leaving our problems of overcrowding far behind. Never forget your instinct of survival, carry on the evolution. Our species shall never be extinguished, keep digging to achieve a better world, keep growing. Grow in! Grow into the Earth!’
More structures sprouted every day in the spaces left by bulldozers, and shouts of ‘Grow in!’ could be heard incessantly at the workplaces, it was the motto of the brave new world.
[04]
After years of excavations the habitable space had increased considerably, everyone seemed to enjoy the new situation and population kept growing; it looked like the big problems of humankind were going towards a happy solution. However, when everything seemed to be perfect, the first tremors started to be noticed and buildings began to crush. Cracks made their appearance not only on the buildings but on people’s optimism. The rulers had to react swiftly,
‘Dear fellow citizens, there is no need to panic! Tremors and cracks are only isolated damages that have easy solution! Since we started to carry out our plan, our lives have changed for the best. Don’t worry and keep digging, we shall keep growing. Grow in! Grow into the Earth!’
[05]
And so people did. Truth was that there was scarcely any more space for buildings, light was a rare commodity and the situation began to be regarded as unbearable. They tried to build at every chink, air had become thin and there was an increasing shortage of supplies. They had almost run out of water as well. Suddenly, a strong creak was heard. The worst of the omens had become reality –their world started to shatter and fell apart. Buildings collapsed one after the other in a huge jumble of metal, bricks and concrete. Their ambition and blindness had driven them towards their own destruction, while every radio station was sending out a new message,
‘Dear fellow citizens, there is nothing to fear! We shall keep going! Our plan is working well and our lives are better than ever! Grow in! Grow into…’
Nobody ever dared to build a new structure, and no one ever heard again that shout once heard at the workplace – ‘Grow in! Grow into the Earth!’
