Inspired by the spirit of my new production company Wonderful Films Corp, the blog this week is being turned into a place for all things WONDERFUL.
It's funny how our notions of wonderful change over time.
This illustration titled "Wonderful World" from a 60's textbook is a great example.
A colorful vision of a utopian future as defined by our production and consumption of energy. Power plants fueled by gas, coal, and nuclear energy tucked beneath an azure sky under snow-capped mountains alongside of a winding and yet dammed up river.
That one tiny windmill innocently tucked on the hillside seems naively prescient of our 21st Century realities of finding sustainable, non-extracting sources of power for our lives.
I love period illustrations depicting future worlds.
It's fun with the benefit of hindsight to look back at the speculations of artists and writers peering into their crystal balls, their vision informed by the assumptions and prejudices of their age.
What wonderful worlds can we conjure up from where we sit today? Things may seem grim at the moment, but if we build it in our imagination, can we will it into existence for our children?
william
Tomorrow: Wonders of the World
This is a very good example of a visualized babystep and how we grow to accept change.
See you tomorrow.
Posted by: Elizabeth | February 20, 2009 at 01:30 AM
Yes we can...
If we feed their imaginations, talk to them of strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff, of dragons and fairies and beauty and beasts, one day they will grow to build their own wonderful worlds.
Posted by: Mary | February 20, 2009 at 02:10 AM
I agree with Mary in that we need to nourish the imaginations of our children and allow them to dream huge colorful dreams. I also think President Obama ( who drew quite the crowd on a cold day in Ottawa this week) in that we need to value the " the makers of things" to build our new wonderful world ( instead of the makers of money).
Posted by: margaret oomen | February 20, 2009 at 05:07 AM
It would be so great if this illustration was a jigsaw puzzle. I could relish each individual color in my hands and examine every detail to find how it fits in the big picture.
Yes, imagination is the key to our future.
Posted by: dutchbaby | February 20, 2009 at 07:28 AM
I believe that the most wonderful things come from our imagination. Whatever we build was in our mind before it became real. I believe that we can build a wonderful world for our children and for ourselves by using our creativity and by taking care of our most important treasure: planet Earth
Love!
elsi :)
Posted by: Elsita :) | February 20, 2009 at 01:43 PM
Fungi were previously included in the plant kingdom, but are now seen to be more closely related to animals. Unlike embryophytes and algae which are generally photosynthetic, fungi are often saprotrophs: obtaining food by breaking down and absorbing surrounding materials. Most fungi are formed by microscopic structures called hyphae, which may or may not be divided into cells but contain eukaryotic nuclei.
Posted by: sildenafil citrate | April 15, 2010 at 09:37 AM
It is something cultural and the perception that people have about it. Time changes and perception of something wonderful with it.
Posted by: xlpharmacy | October 13, 2011 at 06:38 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vPmLqIzuM4
Posted by: evan | December 31, 2012 at 09:16 PM