The prophetic vision of architecture as the primary medium in communication and transgressing ideas has been a culmination of the past literary understanding and philosophical interpretation. The notion of architectural essence as a mediatory to civilization has been overshadowed within the reach of mankind’s achievements and contributions towards arts and sciences as a repertoire in binding the logical facts upon one’s inner senses. Architecture has already served its purposes as a form of abstractions upon vast skyline with the glimmering and enchanting curves which manifested itself as a canvas of corroboration and verification. Is it truly essential for the benefit of mankind? Or just stand as a mirror for men to boast off their pride and pleasure? These controversial statements undoubtedly contrary to the initial belief embedded upon the builders and theorist (read: architects) which strive for the sake of humanity and scientific applications. But is it still relevant up to this very moment?

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With the initial intent to venture deep into the arguments of necessities and superfluous, it is most crucial to set a pivotal node of a threshold as a perimeter for the subjects. The portrayal of the components and elements can be discreetly interpreted via compelling expressionist science fiction film released circa 1927 titled ‘Metropolis’ by Fritz Lang. Lang’s anticipation in directing the film was groundbreaking in the world of a silent film whereas it portrays the estrangement and complexion within the longing of Utopian Era. The setting of the plot takes place way ahead in the future circa 2026 which merely a century from the day the film was released. Surprisingly, Lang manages to demonstrate the estrangement of the future within that particular time period as something that is disturbing, frightening and absurd. The ugly truth behind Lang’s manifestos addressed within ‘Metropolis’ is that we are inevitably projected toward those directions.

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The explicit portrayal of territoriality within Metropolis is conceived as a norm in 2026 whereby human’s interaction and conversation is considered something that has been outdated and not necessarily needed as it does not bring any benefits to the surrounding. The proximity within one’s reach is significantly limited as if the world has been shrunk down to an empirical judgment of familiarity and what lies before the eyes. The opacity of the interactions varies to the understanding set by the standardization and social classes which envisioned in the future as the main structural framework in articulating the social interconnectivity. Based on the film, the proletariat serves as the ‘hand’ which refers to the labors and workforces who powering up the whole city from the catacombs beneath the Metropolis itself. Hence, the architectural essence possesses by each different classes also varies accordingly whereas the value of aesthetics can only be appreciated from a certain group of peoples. This is one of many prophecies which should be aware of whereas architecture should be liberated from the social class structure. Architecture should be versatile. The appreciation of architecture should envelop every social class which somehow makes it as a universal language that can be apprehended, versed as is the wide sky embracing the entire world. There is no stereotypical or canonized understanding of which architectural style ideal to which group. The architecture should not belong to any group which bounded by the ideology of social structure and hierarchical norm. Instead, the architecture itself should be a symbolization of universal language that demarcates the territoriality of segregation.

 

The interdependency of human to the potentialities lies within machinery and technology is graphically demonstrated throughout the overall setting whereas the city itself is envisaged with towers and skyscrapers piercing off the sky’s texture. The interconnectivity of highways and bridges penetrating through building blocks as if the city made up of seamless and continuous urban fabrics. But underneath them, hid a whole inverted atmosphere which entirely differs from what manifested above it. What it seems as human entirely depends on a machine is contradictory. Within the catacombs, the machinery depending on the human workforce to keep functioning. This complexity and intimate relationship between human-machinery-human is something that can be perceived as intermediation. The machinery should only be treated as a tool and mediation, not more than that. Whereas in order to substantiate the notion of ‘Non-Hierarchical Architecture’ the architecture should be an autonomous entity part of the technological advancements itself. The explorations and experimentations of technology undeniably keep on evolving as it also should be in the context of architecture. The fundamentals of architecture have shifted itself towards the amalgamation between architecture and technologies making the entity of architecture slowly hybridizing within the primal body of technology whereby architecture should exhibit as a dominant entity which freely mutated and morphed from its own ‘Magnum Opus’.

 

The collaboration of men and machine is significantly paramount but only with an existence of a division distinguishing both entities as a unique intermingling element, hence manifested as an off-grid architecture which in the future can propagate towards Utopia instead of Dystopia which picturesque in Metropolis.

 

Metropolis also exhibited a sentiment of human replacement as a manifestation of technology at its glorious days by maneuvering human psychological fear of being displaced and controlled by artificial machinery. In fact, the basic foundation of the storyline revolves around how artificiality overshadows the bona fide of mankind. This is one of the earliest portrayal and depiction of transhumanism as a milestone within the context of technological advancement. The duality of artificial and natural exhibits the interpolation within two strands of different elements which can be intertwined to manifest new ethos of architectural identification. The achievements of technology should be celebrated and embraced as it possesses glimpses of what the future holds. The parallel exploration of architecture and technology should be as equal as water to the oil, whereby both liquefy, adapting, and exploring every curve of the container yet distinguishable from each other.