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Fences

3D models, generative AI and videos.

In the universe, fences mark the ever-evolving boundaries between good and evil.

In the universe, human existence unfolds as a perpetual cycle of frustration and anger. Fences are there to protect people from themselves.

As Paris gears up for the Olympic Games, barriers, obstacles, and inaccessible sidewalks proliferate. The fences stand in stark contrast to the event’s lofty ideals. These improvised barriers, hastily erected around bridges, construction sites, landmarks, and museum entrances, turn residents and tourists into captive animals.

The atmosphere is reminiscent of schoolyards, with their penchant for order.

But, we’re not going to let people fall into pits, or get injured on construction sites.

We’re not going to let them steal material or squat in buildings undergoing renovation.

In forests, we don’t fence in trees just because someone might trip over their roots. But, there aren’t as many people in the forest as in Paris.

There are too many crooks and potential victims in big cities. How could we trust so many people? 

Omitted from 3D renderings of the new Adidas Arena, the opening ceremony on the Seine, and the postcards of the Eiffel Tower, the fences remind us of the gap between beautiful speeches about human feats and the fear of chaos and terrorism.

Temporary only in theory, fences are not merely physical structures; they are both within and around us, constraining the mind and perpetuating a state of collective confinement.

They are always tied to a promise: a greener, prettier, more secure urban space, a celebration, a brighter future. Opportunities follow one another, and the fences persist as a symbol of a perpetual becoming that never ceases to confine us in the present.

Disorder is tolerated if it is contained.

Perhaps fewer barriers would be possible if people were not irresponsible. But as demonstrated by the failure of permits to green the bases of trees—most volunteers abandoning their plots after only a few months—Parisians are definitely good for nothing.

We could imagine a future with fewer barriers, but this would need coordinated construction efforts and open dialogue among political leaders, public entities, and the private sector. 

However, what’s the use, since people prefer to comply with restrictions?


In this chapter of the Universe series, we encounter an elderly creature seated on a bench. The old dog seethes with anger in solitude. Around him, a canvas of imprisoned souls. Above him, a constellation of drones. He faces a harsh, two-fold choice: suppress his anger or risk losing his freedom.

Part of the Universe series