micheal mareena's AI series reflects social dualities within india

micheal mareena spotlights progress and disparity in india

Futuristic Nostalgia: Architectural Echoes in India’s Changing Tapestry by Micheal Mareena presents a poignant exploration of contrasts and complexities within India’s social and urban development. Through a series of Midjourney-generated digital photographs, the project weaves a narrative that juxtaposes surreal architectural marvels against the backdrop of everyday life in the streets and slums. Each photograph, captured in a vintage aesthetic using AI, serves as a snapshot of contrasts — futuristic buildings towering over slums, iconic structures coexisting with flooded roads, and architectural bridges spanning over cluttered, dirt-laden slum areas. Though set in the future, it echoes the timeless struggle for balance through the lens of a vintage camera, prompting viewers to contemplate the temporal aspects of futuristic progress and the cost at the which they come.

all images by Micheal Mareena using Midjourney

a contemplation of the future through a nostalgic lens

Harnessing the power of AI technology, Futuristic Nostalgia becomes a canvas reflecting the intricate threads woven into the fabric of Indian society. Conceptually, the series delves into the dualities within the developing nation, capturing the simultaneous dance between progress and disparity, the balance between the future and the echoes of the past. The project’s backstory reveals Micheal Mareena’s personal journey, rooted in a fascination with digital art to encapsulate timeless sentiments and futuristic architectural realms, and inspired by the stark contrasts witnessed during her visit to Tonk, Rajasthan.

‘The resilience of people striving for basic needs, juxtaposed with my memories of the floods in Chennai — a developed city grappling with natural calamities — raised profound questions. In the canvas of future India, I envisioned a narrative that mirrors the dualities persisting in our society. The affluent getting richer while the underprivileged face exacerbated struggles,’ shares the artist.

Micheal Mareena spotlights progress and disparity in India

capturing the juxtaposition of surreal architectural marvels against the backdrop of everyday life in the streets

though set in the future, it echoes the timeless struggle for balance through the lens of a vintage camera

Futuristic Nostalgia: Architectural Echoes in India’s Changing Tapestry is generated using Midjourney

conceptually, the series delves into the dualities within the developing nation

project info:

name: Futuristic Nostalgia: Architectural Echoes in India’s Changing Tapestry
artist: Micheal Mareena

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom