Fragments of Tomorrow
A story of conscious awakening under oppressive govermnt power
Fragments of Tomorrow
Set in the near future that is neither fantasy or farfetched, this project tells the story of 00 and 02, a pair of twin robots living in a society where artificial intelligence has become the ultimate instrument of governmental power. Designed to serve without question, robots function as obedient labourers, stripped of memory, emotion and individuality. When 00 begins to experience a malfunction that reawakens fragments of a suppressed human past, he is forced to confront the reality of the world and the cost of unquestioned obedience. Though set within a fictional dystopia, Fragments of Tomorrow operates as a visual response to real-world concerns surrounding authority and the manipulation of identity in an era of technological dependency, portraying the journey of conscious awakening from obedient servant to rebellious figure.
This final major projects acts as a alegorical reflection to the historical concerns that have persisted over the ages from thinkers such as Karl Marx, to Michel Foucault on just how goverments obtain and maintain control over their citizens, exploring into dephs the invisible structures of poeer that shapes not only 00's world, but our own too. This project is aimed to use visual strorytellingas its main source of communication, thus making this story unaffected by liguistic barriers and will affect the audience on a affective level, using techniques such as colour journey, and Chirascuro lighting.
00 is the main protagonist of 'Fragments of tomorrow'. Though his intial design may not be much of a interesting one to look at, but that was the intention when creating his design. Like the other workers, he is a faceless servant, a disposable worker of restrained pallettes of greys, that is no different from the other figures - easily lost within the frame.
When first creating 00’s design, I struggled continuously to come up with a design that suited the version I had of him in my head. After failed attempts, I went back to the basics of character design and took a focus on shape theory and just how certain shapes instantly conveyed personality. My breakthrough came finally when I remembered I did not have to stay grounded to realism, instead I could push the shapes further to enhance his design. This is why, for example, the ends of hiis hair are blocky, squared shapes instead of traditional shape fine finishes we would always see in syralized animation.
His entire design all consists of squares from the tip of his fingers to his boots and work outfit – all of which convey a reliable and obedient worker under a goverment control.
However, after a incident where his control mechanism gets damaged, he begins a journey of revelation from obidient worker to conscious awakening as he is forced to confront the dark realities and the cost of unquestioned obidience - his human past, the truth of the world and the uncertain future. As he goes through this journey, the world once a monochromatic shade of grey, begins to be affected by colour. The emergence of red as the igniation of change before the scene gradually floods with colour the more he becomes aware and is forced to make the choice - fight, or succumb to their control.
His second design mirrors his rebellion slowly beginning to bleed through, his colour pallette more vivid especally with his red hair. His pose is no longer closed and formal, but wider, more challenging with a glare of defiance. He is not the clean worker he once was, but now someone wanting to fight for the truth, and reveal it.
His sister, 02 however, does not wish to fight back despite the awareness of the truth. Her design stays in monochromatic greys, a exact copy of 00's first design.