Interpreting Invisible Cities with Illustrations
<p><strong>Olivia</strong>, a city of signs is a social satire on capitalist economy and the resulting fabric of cities. Marco Polo starts describing the riches of Olivia, the filigree palaces, the mullioned windows and the manicured lawns with white peacocks. But as a wise man (Kublai Khan in this context) hears these words, he understands the sweat and labour that goes into producing these riches. Far away, typically, live the poor, the blue collared workforce sweltering and toiling in the tanneries, yards, mills, factories and shop floors. The moneyed women move about at nights along the banks, while the impoverished on the other side, fatigued from the day’s hard work, sleepwalk cracking jokes and sarcasm.</p>
<p>This city brings up a visual from the 19th century London, and the gentrification of modern-day cities — where the affluent and the downtrodden coexist, but with a clear, physical divide of belongingness. And one cannot describe the city without having implicitly touched upon the two classes — the manufacturers of these goods and services, and their consumers.</p>
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