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Gentrification and Dystopia: The Future of Mexico City in the Aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Gentrification and Dystopia: The Future of Mexico City in the Aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic - Image 1 of 4Gentrification and Dystopia: The Future of Mexico City in the Aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic - Image 2 of 4Gentrification and Dystopia: The Future of Mexico City in the Aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic - Image 3 of 4Gentrification and Dystopia: The Future of Mexico City in the Aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic - Image 4 of 4Gentrification and Dystopia: The Future of Mexico City in the Aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic - More Images

When looking at the population of the world's metropolises, in this case Mexico City, the reality is that the majority of the people living there have migrated from other regions of the country and, sometimes, from other countries as well. Of course, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, companies and schools have gone virtual, and, with their work and studies no longer tied to urban centers, people have left in masse for the coast and other less populated areas in search of space and lower living costs.

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This Video Presents an Abstract Reflection on Our Modern Cities of Glass

In this visual essay, Greek filmmaker Yiannis Biliris documents the all-pervasive pall of glass that covers the modern city. The three-and-a-half-minute-long film, produced by Visual Suspect and shot entirely in Hong Kong, captures the vivid reflections seen in the facades of the city’s buildings, as Biliris selectively pans and zooms his camera to instill a strong sense of urgency in the viewer’s mind.

The essay, beautifully haunting in its imagery, might be seen as a reflective commentary on the state of our built environment today. Inspired by Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which states that mass causes a distortion in space and time, it seems to subtly ask if our understanding of reality is warped itself. Describing the video as "a visual essay about perception and knowledge as [a] reflection of our reality," Biliris comments that "mass curves space and time, while the observer has his own perspective."