Utopia: In Search of the Dream

Moments of social transformation like the civil rights movement of the 1960s were driven by a dream of equality powered by utopian visions. What makes people dream of better? From Jonathan Swift to Star Trek, women rights to Wikipedia, how has the fictional dream of a better world electrified the fight for a better reality? And why have dystopian stories of our darker side captivated us as much?

Some people say hell is other people. For others, a perfect world would be wretched without them. From an eco-commune in Virginia to the grand urban designs of the 20th Century; the New Deal housing projects of downtown Chicago to the concrete sprawl of Soviet-era housing - can utopian visions ever reconcile the tension between our desire to belong and our need as individuals to break free?

Is utopia a place or a state of mind? Digital culture expert Richard Clay explores the different kinds of cultural escapes on offer to us, expanding our possibilities of transcendence and pleasure. From the immersive worlds of gaming to the ordered minimalism of composer Steve Reich, meet the creators who build worlds of sound and imagination that allow us to escape without leaving the couch.