As an illustrator, I enjoy reimagining familiar things and placing them on a totally different context. For this illustration, I asked, what would Manila, the Philippines' capital, look like in the future? In creating this work, I looked at how our city was at the moment. I saw unequal development, public housing problems, garbage waste disposal issues, the list goes on - all amid an unprecedent boom in real estate developments which, in my opinion, do not mirror what needs to be done in order to bring Manila to the future. Thus, Today x Future (which incidentally is the name of a quite popular haunt for artists in this city) - if we fail to solve the problems of today, they might as well be the problems of the future.
Full illustration. This is a familiar site even today: glistening skycrapers towering over the masses. Families from the countryside flock to big cities for better opportunities only to find themselves in makeshift houses.
Detail. Skyscrapers become even more outlandish in design. Tarpaulin billboards are replaced by holograms - but the ads stay the same. Jeeps, buses, and cars get to fly too.
Detail. Skycrapers may have soared higher, but the homeless and the poor stay at the bottom. Kids are still forced to scavenge for garbage at the polluted rivers to fend for their needs. Only this time, the waste is more high-tech.
Poster. The original inspiration for this work was travel posters from the jet age - striking visions of the future as tourist destinations. I played with that original idea in this poster - perhaps I can create a series of these posters in the future. Hehe.
Thank you for viewing! :)
