Architecture & Design Shortlist

Do you think that the first space colony created by mankind will happen during your lifetime? Technology has advanced so quickly over the past few years. In the overall scheme of things, we’re just a flash in the pan – and yet we’ve done so much to change our planet. Humankind is leaving a lasting impact on Earth, turning it into the paradise that we want it to be or perhaps the paradise that we’ve lost.

2021+ II: Utopia Broadcasting encapsulates everything about human construction, sheer curiosity, consumerism, as well as the wonders and dangers associated with science. The overall aim of this project is to transport the viewer’s imagination to another world that exists outside of time – and in doing so, to invoke conversation around themes of futurism amidst the darker side of human ideals.

All of these images were taken in 2021 in Iceland, during the pandemic.

Serena Dzenis is a lens-based artist from Australia who resides in Iceland. She uses her work to tell stories about science, conservation, environmental issues and the future of mankind.

Serena’s photographs capture the otherworldliness that is associated with nature and human constructions on our own planet. The emphasis of her art is on storytelling within the landscape – exploring the outcomes of human desires while immersing oneself in the rhythms and dangers associated with the living presence of this world.