Welcome !

​

One might have heard tales of the legendary 'El Dorado', the city of gold, which drew many adventurous explorers to its location. El Dorado, obviously, does not actually exist; it is what we refer to as a 'utopia', an imaginary, ideal space. The many explorers have never been able to find it. Today, we speak of El Dorado as a myth, a historical fiction, often romanticized and adapted in products of popular culture. Yet the quest for a utopian space, we believe, has not vanished, but simply taken a different shape. The societies of today similarly explore a space only existing in imagination: Instagram, the social medium of eternal fame. Many feel naturally forced, by friends, institutions or for educative purposes, to engage in the journey to the virtual world. This journey, which we cannot seem to avoid of our own free will, shows the everyday prevailing quest for fame and fortune beyond what is reasonable. In light of this recent obsession, we can see numerous similarities between the El Dorado of historical myth and the social medium of contemporary practice. It is our mission to share how and why the comparison between the two is evident and necessary for critical self-reflection. 

​

Through this website, we want to tell you about both this historical and contemporary utopia, and encourage you to critically reflect on them. How are these utopias, and the journey towards them, similar? How are they different? Are you on a similar journey yourself? Read all about the creation and growth of both a historical and a contemporary utopia. Dive deeper into the theoretical research behind these narratives by reading our literature reviews, or explore the utopias through our podcast and e-zine. Share your thoughts and opinions on the forum.