As Trump baselessly cries voter fraud, one artist surveys the rise of conspiracy theories in US politics

Cassandra Zampini’s short film Media Warfare compresses four years of fake news into a harrowing 25-minute survey of America’s shattered psyche

The promulgation of conspiracy theories has reached a fever pitch in the US as Trump rattles off misinformation on his power platform, Twitter, about alleged voter fraud in a bid to hold onto the White House following the election of Joe Biden by the American people. This dangerous conspiratorial political climate provides an apt cultural backdrop for Cassandra Zampini’s latest work addressing the spread of fake news on social media and how it can influence our worldview, relationships and opinions.

The New York-based artist downloaded and compiled hours of conspiracy theory videos from fringe corners of the internet for the work Media Warfare(2020), resulting in a short film that, like the news it draws from, is overstimulating and anxiety inducing. The mosaic of clips that fill the frame are sourced from several disconcerting hashtags including #SecondCivilWar and #GreatAwakening.

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/review/media-warfare