Bio

    At some unknown time, from an unknown space, a mysterious creature, the existence of which had never been reported, obtained an interest in the way human beings think about the future. The future, a word that was added relatively recently to humanity’s dictionaries, had seldom been commonly distributed to everyone on the earth. Although the study of the future had significantly contributed to pulling humanity progressively in all aspects of societies, its obscurity was still bigger than its publicity and fame. One day, the creature sensed that something on the earth was going along an unexpected trajectory. This was a change of the picture of the future in humankind’s collective minds − in a calamitous way! Even though the future had never been synonymous with hope, it was an imminent portent that human beings were starting to be even more suspicious as to the promising power of the future. It became less appealing to the creature. Observing the evolution of humans propelled by their notion of the future had been one of its most amusing hobbies; maybe it hoped that their advanced universe could meet with the humans’ world one day in the future. Soon, however, it managed to understand why the strong belief in the future began to crumble away. It was around the 1960s in the humans’ timeline, which was too soon to tell whether or not the wars might have permanently harmed the resilience of humanity. Moreover, the fact that some parts of the world were terminated by atomic bombs was catastrophic enough to undermine the optimistic view of the future.

Each era has its own hegemonic belief that is tied to the notion of time yet to come. In that era, the main principle for the humans’ civilization was the worship of technology and science. The creature knew those well; they were ideologies that seemed relatively less biased than others, but by far the most devastating. They by no means brought any beings a promise for a shining future, unlike religions and devotion to the arts. Through the lessons from WWII, human beings began to be aware of how devastating technology can be. Despite the fear of it, a nebulous excitement to imagine the upcoming future was irresistible. This ambivalence in feeling was more reinforced by the beginning of the international competitions in space; in 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, and the USA commenced the Apollo program. Even before repenting of their guilt and sin from the wars, European societies were compelled to react to the new diastrophism of national powers. They strived to develop their own intellectual capacities in science and technologies. The Netherlands was no exception. At the time, this small country in north-western Europe, which was positioned lower than sea level, slowly began to recover from the wound from the world wars, and the North Sea flood in 1953. These two disasters, especially the latter, taught the country the imperative of acknowledging technology as their companion. It was not clear which of these things had drawn the creature’s interest. The creature couldn’t take its eyes – or whatever organs with which it received visual information – off something quickening in one small and desolate city called ‘the end of the field.’

This small city seemed to be a base camp where Dutch enthusiasm would be realized in accordance with the exponential growth of the eponymous company Philips, the Dutch family which gave their name and light bulbs to the country. They planned to build the manufacturing complex of the company in the town.

One day, one idea occurred to the creature that human beings might want to see the incarnation of the future, and that this would motivate them to speed up their journey towards an unknown time. “There will be the temple of the future” said the creature. Like Beurs in Amsterdam, a temple of the stock exchange, built in 1602. The modern citizens were, of course, entitled to have their own temple for what they believed in. Thus, the creature decided to transform itself into the epitome of the future that would lift people’s hearts and help them get over their agonies over the happiness and worries. The creature began to collect the images of the future in all people’s minds and kneaded them into one lump that best formulated the image of the future and became it itself.

Making itself into the two large saucers layered in a horizontal and symmetrical fashion, a giant 234-foot diameter concrete dome landed on the center of Philips’ industrial park. After looking its body over thoroughly, the creature was highly satisfied with its new appearance, especially its magnificent upper structure that was incredibly noticeable from everywhere in the city. It heightened its self-esteem. There was nothing like it in the world.


︎︎︎The poster for the science exhibition in Evoluon, Wim Crouwel, 1996

People called the building ‘Evoluon.’ “What a dilogical name it is,” said the creature. The creature was in fact astonished by the creativity of its new name but began to worry if the one who created its name might have noticed the fact that the building was originally something else and evolved into the structure it inhabited. From the humans’ perspective, however, the meaning of the name was concerned only with the evolution of humanity. The building’s first role on the earth was to become a science museum. People made and dedicated abundant offerings to the temple of the future. It was filled with futuristic spectacles and attractions, such as a theater for science films, exhibitions for the innovative products mostly manufactured by its owner, Philips.

When people walked into the body of the creature, rummaged around every part of its innards, and indulged in the taste of the future, the creature couldn’t be prouder of itself than that. Its sheer joy was actually arising from taking part in the historical progress of humanity as a physical agent, not just as an invisible and passive observer. Around that time, not only did its function play an important role but its extraordinary shape also made a great impact on the aesthetic trend of different product designs, such as furniture, cars, and home appliances. It implied that the creature’s initial desire was materialized by integrating its aesthetic form into people’s everyday lives. It was such an unexpected achievement that the creature didn’t even calculate before.


︎︎︎The Advertisement Poster for the Opening of the Evoluon, 1966

Its influence looked to persist permanently, or at least, through one century. The modernity of the 20th century was not like Ancient Greece or the Medieval period where their style was able to last several centuries under multiple authoritative doctrines. Things were different in the 60’s. This was the time when the style of architecture, design, and any manufactured products were ceaselessly challenged by not only the development of engineering but also the whimsical sense of aesthetics that the media created, which traveled across the world. Wherever the media reached, people’s tastes were unified and flattened by the globalization of style. It might have been the one fact that the creature dismissed when it decided to become the Evoluon. The aura diffused by its unique shape was thought to persevere for the next several decades; the duration had to be long enough to take human beings on the journey that the creature had planned.

Unfortunately, its hopes were dashed earlier than it had expected. Its aesthetic value reached the end of its own tether and could no longer inspire people. Was it that they were in search of another future? Well, there were several presumptions in this situation. It was a troubling and tumultuous time that didn’t allow people to imagine a future. One of the fears that people had about technology finally manifested in the form of automation and the advent of computers. It brought the owner of the Evoluon, the Philips company difficult times; they laid off a large number of employees and downsized the business. According to it, the vision of the company began to crumble. Or rather, it became out of sync with the quick changes in society. The enthusiastic usage of the giant science museum was not the priority amongst other urgent issues. People stopped to come and visit. The doors were closed. Nothing no longer happened. The Evoluon went, in the end, into hibernation.

To make matters worse, two polarizing opinions of the modern buildings emerged: that the Evoluon was an eyesore or that it was a national heritage site. The other modern buildings faced the same destinies. As if they were punished for manifesting the aesthetic principle of their era, they hung by a thread and waited for one of three fates: demolition, renovation, or abandonment. Whatever became of their afterlife was undoubtedly dishonorable for buildings that used to be the pride of their country, city, and people. Luckily, the creature dodged the demolition and maintained its original shape. But it was quite embarrassing that the creature was left with no purpose or motivation. Weird, obsolete, nuisance were the words that people used when they described the building. At last, the creature became nothing but a poltergeist that was trapped in the prison designed by itself.


︎︎︎The poster for the Kraftwerk Concert, 2013

A few years later, the humans’ timeline entered the new millennium. The creature woke to someone’s footsteps breaking its long hibernation. In October 2013, the German electronic band ‘Kraftwerk’ visited and chose the Evoluon as a venue for their 3D-concert. When the band was asked the reason behind the choice of the building despite its small number of seats, they responded: “its retro-futuristic shape best represents our sentiment.” ‘Retro-futuristic!’ It led the creature to invoke its bygone glory, which passed as quick as a flash, and instilled hope that this concert could be a turning point to define its new aesthetics in a different sense. The concert began.

A spaceship that resembled the Evoluon softly landed behind the four musicians on the stage. The inside of the creature was circled with strong flashy lights, and frantic beats synthesized by electronic sound. This moment certainly ushered in the new phase of the building. Every beat led the building to the next stage of its evolution, one step per beat.

Since the rave, more good news arrived to the Evoluon. One of them was the transfer of its ownership from Philips to the new owners, Foolen & Reijs. The creature, of course, was never aware that it was possessed by anyone or anything. It even loved a part of the plan to construct extra buildings along the edge of the park to make the Evoluon financially more feasible. The creature, which had come from a different universe, was clearly aware that a large amount of debt could not be a companion for a new journey towards the future. It was the most priceless lesson from its long, traumatic dormancy. When the citizens and the municipality were angered by the new plan making the Evoluon less visible through its excessive development, the creature didn’t show any gratitude at all. A new future demands new aesthetics – being lucrative!

The Evoluon was fueled and ready to lift off the launch pad. It was expected in its next journey to become a nexus connecting all innovative sectors in the city, from science and technology to culture and design. Every spring, the building would be exuberant with entrepreneurs talking about new businesses, and every autumn, a flock of enthusiasts would arrive for the creativity in art and design. The new plan was aimed to expand its original function comprehensively but, at the same time, to continue its initial motivation – leading people to a possible future.

The situation, however, didn’t easily permit the creature to get behind the wheel. Even before one of the plans was able to be carried out, the notorious virus, called Covid-19, became the first visitor to the new version of the Evoluon. A few canopies for the virus test were instead installed in the park where the additional construction of the building was supposed to be conducted. The Evoluon welcomed local people coming with the symptoms of the virus, instead of a group of businesspeople in formal suits coming to discuss the future. Nevertheless, the creature could tolerate this imminent crisis because it was not alone this time. The crisis was universal, visiting every building regardless of its purpose, shape, aesthetics and dream.

One day, the creature came across a flyer and couldn’t believe what was written on it: “The Evoluon will gain its original function back...”

The creature breathed out shortly, then continued to read.
“...and become a science museum about the future of our planet.”

At the very moment, the creature realized
“I dreamed that I could lead human beings to the future that they were dreaming of.”

It was not a sudden realization at all.
“There was never meant to be a future for humans.”, said the creature while crumpling the flyer.

What it has witnessed over the past 75 years in one place seemed to amount to the weight of a void.

“What moved human beings was their hollow delusion of the future.”

“So, what on earth was the image of the future that I obtained from the humans’ collective minds?

Upon finding the answer, it couldn’t contain itself. The shape of the Evoluon brought about by standardizing all images in people’s minds had a wrong assumption of humanity. It only collected the images from people who had heard about the future, who had learned about the future, and who had imagined the future.

“I should have noticed it when the structure looked like a mushroom cloud.”
The creature sighed deeply. All the moments that it stayed in the shape of the Evoluon became a huge shame; it truly believed the building’s shape best represented the aesthetic value of the age. Now, for the creature, the building became nothing but an empty shell.

The creature decided to leave the Evoluon, and never look back on it again.