Philadelphia artists contemplate a future without guns at the University City Science Center

The vision of Philadelphia presented by Portlock suggests that the city may worsen before it can get better, with the introduction of stricter gun laws. He drew inspiration from Australia, where after a tragic shooting in 1996, the country passed stringent gun laws that led to a significant decrease in gun-related homicides and suicides. Portlock’s art piece, titled “Time After the Hunter,” portrays the city in both a state of ruin and rebirth.

In Portlock’s piece, remnants of the past version of the city, plagued by guns, are depicted alongside a new version of the city that emerged after the implementation of stricter gun laws. Natalie Hijinx, a Philadelphia artist and member of the collective Vox Populi, drew upon her love of science fiction and Gene Roddenberry to create “Long Action,” a multimedia sculptural piece set in a future where decentralized artificial intelligence dominates.

In this imagined future, the AI, known as the Essensees, works to save humanity from itself by engineering a super fungus that feeds on gunpowder, rendering guns useless worldwide. Instead of a technological dystopia, Hijinx’s piece envisions a future where AI is dedicated to rescuing mankind from the dangers posed by firearms, offering a unique perspective on the role of technology in society.