Marcus Lyon's Projects

EXODUS is an exploration of the most significant migrations of the early 21st Century. As the ability of humans, goods and services to circumnavigate the planet increases exponentially we are left disconnected from a simple view of our common identity. Indeed, as our economic and geo-political differences intensify, the unstoppable movement and expansion of actual and digital assets challenge the power of the individual in society, the state and corporations to control opinions, actions and environments. Exodus provokes questions concerning the biggest changes in contemporary society through large-scale representations of the key themes that influence globalisation in the modern world.

TIMEOUT explores mass behaviour in a world where the search for safety, sustenance and shelter has taken on a secondary role. As the billion planet dwellers that no longer need to service their basic needs search for meaning they turn to another human instinct: exploration. Indeed, as our desire for escape intensifies, we unleash an unstoppable quest for release through travel and adventure. Whether through budget airlines or the mega rich’s super yachts, the human race defines its modern existence through endeavoring to conquer the natural rhythms of the earth in a search of redemption from work through recreation.

In 2008, a watershed was crossed and the world saw the irreversible shift from a global majority of rural dwellers to a new army of urban residents. Mass urbanisation trends predict that the world’s urban population will double in the coming 40 years. The cities of the developing world will account for 95% of that growth. These are the megacities of the BRIC economies, the urban giants of Brazil, Russia, India and China. These people-magnets draw in rural workers with the promise of higher wages and a better quality of life, but the delicate balance between expanding population and limited physical space defines the human condition of these powerhouses. The evolution of these urban spaces defines today’s global economy. In 2001, Jim O’Neill of Goldman Sachs first coined the term BRICs, accurately predicting that these 4 economies would drive future global growth. Today these 4 countries account for 25% of the world’s land mass and 41% of its population. In 2025 the BRIC economies will have created at least another 200 m consumers with per annum incomes over $ 10,000. By 2050 the BRICs will eclipse the combined economies of Europe and America. Whichever way it is examined the megacities of the emerging markets are the defining human environments of our time.