Transcription: Initial Ideas-Tower of Babel

Idea One:

The idea initially formed from suggestions given to me by 2nd and 3rd year coursemates, Alex and Godwin. Leaning towards the idea of Environment, then towards a futuristic architecture. Other ideas that were spawned from this idea were Steam-Punk architecture from the cowboy-western era

Painting into Digital Set for Film/Game

Painting: Pieter Bruegel the Elder's The Tower of Babel

The Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1563)

Taking this painting, adapting it to a future world and transcribing it into a 3d environment. I checked out Leonard Aitken's Mecha depicting a future metropolis as my inspiration for this idea.

Leonard Aitken's Mecha

After having a chat with Alan, this idea became more concrete. I would need to find the context of that world-what purpose of the future & tech theme specifically are and its roots, for this I'll be checking out Mike Ashley's Out of this world.


Looking more into previous years' transcription projects for inspiration, I checked out Tom Beg's Garden of Earthly Delights, who transcribed a painting by Hieronymus Bosch, entitled The Garden of Earthly Delights:




Putting across a number of ideas, idea two is along the same vein with the Tower of Babel.

Instead of transcribing a painting of the Tower of Babel, I transcribe the short story. This would allow me to have a narrative I can adapt, whilst having total creative freedom.


To summarise, The short story of the Tower of Babel takes place during Genesis.

"The whole world had one language - one common speech for all people. The people of the earth became skilled in construction and decided to build a city with a tower that would reach to heaven. By building the tower they wanted to make a name for themselves and also prevent their city from being scattered.

God came to see their city and the tower they were building. He perceived their intentions, and in His infinite wisdom, He knew this "stairway to heaven" would only lead the people away from God. He noted the powerful force within their unity of purpose. As a result, God confused their language, causing them to speak different languages so they would not understand each other. By doing this, God thwarted their plans. He also scattered the people of the city all over the face of the earth." (Source)


Full Text:
"According to the biblical account, a united humanity of the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating from the east, came to the land of Shinar, where they resolved to build a city with a tower "with its top in the heavens...lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the Earth." God came down to see what they did and said: "They are one people and have one language, and nothing will be withholden from them which they purpose to do." So God said, "Come, let us go down and confound their speech." And so God scattered them upon the face of the Earth, and confused their languages, and they left off building the city, which was called Babel "because God there confounded the language of all the Earth."(Genesis 11:5-8)."