Afrofuturism. Architectural utopia "Black Panther".

Flowing rounded forms of buildings created by Zaha Hadid, London's Buckingham Palace and the mosques of ancient African Timbuktu - these buildings drew inspiration from the director of the Marvel blockbuster "Black Panther", which is now in cinemas. The fictional African metropolis of Wakanda, whose master plan was developed in the smallest details as if the authors intended to embody the cinematic image of the city in steel and stone, has been talked about not only by fans of fiction since the release of the film, but also by philosophers, futurists and, of course, architects who considered utopian images of real devils and the ideology of Afrofuturism.

Hanna Bichler took on an almost impossible task - to develop not just the scenography of the picture from scratch, but to think through the believable history and geography of the utopian country with a detailed topographical map and exact dimensions of the completed and constructed buildings, which serve as the background for the plot of the large-scale action.

Hannah Beachler, production designer of "Black Panther" in the interior designed by her for the throne room of the palace of Wakanda. Photo: Ilt Jones

Of course, she did not act independently - Hanna had three hundred art directors, props, carpenters, sculptors and artists at her disposal, for whom she compiled a 500-page reference album, which she called the "Bible of Wakanda".

The throne room in the palace of Wakanda. Under the glass floor, the designer hides the authentic Sankore mosque from the city of Timbuktu in West Africa

In order to find visual materials capable of inspiring everyone who worked on the scenography and style of a fantastic metropolis, Bichler studied the source material in the office - a series of original comics about the first black superhero, and then engaged in field research - she traveled for almost an hour in South Africa, Britain, and South Korea, meeting with architects, anthropologists, geologists in search of histories, locations, architectural objects, ornaments, fabrics and special color combinations.

Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o on the set of "Black Panther". The decor on the wall behind her and the embroidery of her costume bear the traditional ornaments of the Tuareg people. Photo (c) Marvel

Speaking about the result, Hanna emphasizes that "it's a strong mix of tradition and futurism, and the main driving idea behind the "bible" was the demand for the invention of original aesthetics - without a single sign of colonization."

A panorama of the fictional Wakanda - an African city freed from the influence of Europe's colonial policy

Such a description of a fictional civilization exactly coincides with the definition of Afrofuturism - a whole philosophical trend (as well as an ideology and an artistic style) that appeared in the middle of the 1993th century. The term - everyone who is not lazy has already written about it - was introduced in XNUMX by Mark Derry, an American literary critic, in his essay devoted to the work of African-American fiction writers Octavia Butler and Samuel Dylan, who not only created utopian pictures of the future, but tried to conquer it has a place for African culture and traditions, not driven into the framework of European "white" mythology, which creates a feeling of secondaryness.

Afrofuturistic project of the New York-based designer Olalekan Jayfus of Nigerian origin "Shack-megastructure", drawing attention to the low standard of living of the largest Nigerian city of Lagos

In her work, Hanna Bichler followed in the footsteps of a number of writers, artists and even Afrofuturist musicians, among whom there are names well known in our Palestine. Thus, elements of this artistic style can be seen in the videos of Michael Jackson and Beyoncé, Janelle Monae and TLC.

The cover of the debut album of Janelle Monet, who exploits the philosophy and aesthetics of Afrofuturism in her work

What is Afrofuturism?

First, these are dreams about the "golden age" of Africa of the past and its brilliant future, which will come thanks to new technologies. And after all, these dreams are far from the fruit of baseless fantasies. Remember at least the majestic mud brick buildings of the richest pre-colonial empire of Mali or the mysterious and no less impressive colossal stone concentric ruins of the ancient kingdom of Zimbabwe.

The Great Cathedral Mosque of Djenne in Mali is the largest clay and silt building in the world. Photo: Roberto Nencini

And as for fine arts, the incredible and unparalleled bronze of the Yoruba nation (modern Nigeria) eloquently testifies to the great past of the civilization of sub-equatorial Africa.

Female head (the so-called "African Venus"), copper, 1300-1400. Art of the Yoruba people, Ife culture

Brilliant antiquity and tragic colonial experience, the expectation of a better technological post-apocalyptic future, refracted through the prism of the culture of African tribes and multiplied by the search for a new cosmic family, could not but give birth to the shining phantom of Wakanda, the city of skyscrapers. Only these gigantic structures resemble rondavels in their shapes - the traditional round houses of the Bantu people in southern Africa.

In the background, directly in the center, there is a skyscraper with a thatched roof. A typical African shack-rondavel. Only on the scale of a metropolis

Flowing organic lines and the futuristic style of Zaha Hadid had no less influence on the special architectural style of the imaginary metropolis.

Cultural complex Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Zaha Hadid. 2014

Soft rounded outlines, reminiscent of the lines of Zaha Hadid's architectural masterpieces, prevail in the construction of the districts of Wakanda

In the districts of Wakanda created by Hannah Bichler, there is a place for both science fiction and references from the traditional low-rise buildings of southern Africa

Read more about Afrofuturism, its significance for mass culture and, of course, the architecture of Wakanda in the April issue of Pragmatika Media magazine.