An Introduction by David L. Puga

One of my favorite things about science fiction is its ability to speak truth to power through the lens of what seems like simple entertainment on it's face. To offer critique and commentary on things happening in our real world in a way that can resonate and is a little easier to digest than say an essay or research paper. It's in that spirit that I chose to make a dystopian cyberpunk look into the future, using my hometown, Lubbock, Tx. I haven't really seen a whole lot of the genre focus on this region, and I think there's a lot of potential for great stories in the region. The world of Dust City 20XX is based upon a lot of extrapolations from things I've researched and worked on as an activist in the last few years. Climate change, erosion of civil rights, and fascist ideals becoming more prevalent - while I have taken liberties in the world-building, it doesn't seem like that much of a stretch. I want to thank my collaborators on this, Sam Gaitan and Rey Ramos did a huge amount of work in bringing this concept to life. Without them, this exhibit wouldn't be half as cool! Thank you all, for going down this rabbit hole with me, it's been a hell of a trip!

The purpose of Dust City 20XX is to say that while the future seems dark and oppressive, it doesn't have to be that way, we can change it. It just takes work and people willing to do their part. Every little bit is worth everything.

Dust City 20XX - a future history

In the near future, climate change kickstarted a decades-long drought, & giant dust storms now coat much of the Texas plains. These
Storms have destroyed smaller cities and ravaged agricultural land. Tornado-sized dust devils have become so common that a new meteorological phenomenon was created, the supercell 'Dust Demon'. Becasue of the danger these storms presented many of the smaller cities around the Plains were evacuated and consolidated into what was once called Lubbock Metro, creating the mega-city, 'Nuevo Llano'. Though the locals call it "Dust City"

Private Militaries patrol the streets, hired by the stretched-thin and incompetent State Federal Rangers, to better patrol the city. No real oversight is provided to these private firms and they are left to enforce the rules however they see fit. Water, too, is now a heavily regulated commodity due to shortages. Water rights are privatized and "loaned out" to the cities. "Playa Water Authority" is the local proxy for the bigger water corporations and, due to information leaks and hacks, it is widely believed to be hoarding huge supplies.

Food, while relatively plentiful, is almost all synthetic or so bioengineered that it might as well be. There are no Grocery stores, instead, food is sold in vending machines owned by a handful of big corporations. Ther are places to procure a few seeds to grow some additional nourishment but with water at a premium. it’s a delicate balancing act. Oh, and word on the street is that if you're “affluent” enough you can get real meat... and many people who get picked up by the law are never seen again. It's probably unrelated. Has to be, right?

Welcome to Dust City, where water is a privilege, and life is cheap.