Isaura: el future Tecnopagano de la ciudad entre Transurbanismo y trascendencia

Abstract

Spirituality has always played a major role in cities, affecting deeply every aspect of urban life. But what about the future? Will the development of technology diminish the importance of spirituality? Or, on the contrary, will post- and transhumans be profoundly spiritual beings? In this paper we make use of speculative design and of pastiche scenarios to investigate the role of spirituality in a transurban future. In particular, we imagine Isaura, a city imbued with transhuman augmentations and technopagan ideals where people can cast themselves in the body of animals. The scenario allows us to reflect on the possibility of an animistic future based on avatarization technologies, seen in the framework of Descola’s ecology of relationships.