Visualizing Ecotopia: Artwork in An Ecotopian Lexicon

In Always Coming Home (1985), Ursula K. Le Guin coins the term “heyiya” to refer to a collective process and way of life in which a community may find pleasure in ecosocial connection as well as foster a sense of hope despite some of the overwhelming realities of our society today. Interested in how others may have visualized a future in which our society has found hope and created innovation in the face of climate change, I did some more digging into An Ecotopian Lexicon. A collection of thirty “loanwords” from various languages and works of speculative fictions, all of the terms explored give a new sense of how our society may flourish despite socio-ecological adversity. The editors also asked fourteen different artists to respond to selected entries in the lexicon to add an “additional imaginative layer.” While I think one of the best things about science fiction is that it allows us to imagine a future we’d like to have that’s better than our present, adding an artistic visual interpretation is such a beautiful way to bring some of these concepts to life. I’ve included some of my favorites below. It was hard to choose only seven; I recommend checking all fourteen out if you have time: https://www.ecotopianlexicon.com/the-artwork