Future Signals of Change
New Narratives | Possible Futures
Developing alternative and inclusive ways of seeing probably means we have to look somewhere else.
Looking for signals of change
Often when I think about ‘looking for signals’ I think niche news, fanatical bloggers, random tweeters, outlier research and climate & tech web stuff. I’m often slow to remember that some of the richest images of the future come to us through art; often anchored quietly in seeds of the now and spinning a new compass with which to navigate dramatically different adjacent possible futures.
Art offers us a new lens through which to expand, rebuild and reimagine dominant narratives and discourse.
In my digital wanderings I came across the Copenhagen independent film festival site which is a treasure trove of delight. A couple of films that that immediately jumped out at me that I thought worth sharing include:
Archive of the Future
When it comes to the curation and collections of museums, the colonial repressions of the past and future eco-crises are pressing in from both sides, and the production of knowledge is in need of an ethical update.
The Nature of Grief
The history of grief, the diagnosis of prolonged grief disorder and the role of capitalism in the grieving process.
Hunt for the Oldest DNA
We’re offered a possibility of our own climate future. What can the ancient genetic codes tell us about the current climate crisis? ‘The Hunt for the Oldest DNA’ is an epic journey back in time, using the ancient genetic codes as a time machine.
Eternal You
In capitalism, supply and demand rule, and nowhere is the demand greater than when it comes to escaping death. And with new developments in artificial intelligence, eternal life may become a real possibility.
Into Thin Air
The real life industry supporting off-gridders in Japan, called ‘johatsu’ (‘evaporated’), the film of the same name explores the phenomenon in a sober and unprejudiced way through some of the human destinies it connects.
After Work
Work is so crucial to our identity and what we spend our waking hours on that you barely think about it. A lot has happened since a group of Puritan priests invented the concept of the work ethic in the 17th century, and in the 21st century the very concept of ‘work’ is in many ways disintegrating.
Grand Theft Hamlet
Two unemployed friends have a fresh idea: They want to stage Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ in Grand Theft Auto. But even in a virtual world, reality intrudes in a wild and trippy film shot entirely inside the ultra-violent video game.
Unbuilt Environments
Utopian and dystopian environments for disabled people, built in Unreal Engine and based on collaboration with disabled-led groups and disabled people in East London.
Fay — Carving Memories
A 25 minute animated VR experience that guides the audience on an interactive journey to investigate different emotions within the spectrum of grief.
Local Binaries
Every person you meet holds a world inside them, what does yours look like?
The forest that breathes us
A virtual reality experience made collaboratively with ground-breaking forest ecologist Suzanne Simard, The Forest That Breaths Us transports participants into a perspective of unfathomable interconnection by taking them inside the complex communication networks, familial relationships, memories and agency of a forest.
Slipstreaming
A huge, high-tech cruise ship is floating in international waters. On board, a community experimenting with new forms of social, political, and legal systems. What can possibly go wrong?
Infrequently asked questions
A quick snapshot of the rarely asked to the seldom wondered about; the sorts of questions that only the insanely and intensely curious are likely to be pondering. So consider this the part for all those questions about outlier signal scanning that you’ve probably never had.
Are the films in english?
Yes many are understandable by english-speaking humans either through the age-old medium of voice-mediated dialogue or wait for it . . subtitles.
Is there somewhere I can stream them online?
So glad you asked because the answer to this question is . . reassuringly non-linear, which no doubt makes some of us sit up and say “YESSS I’m into a bit of that” . . whilst others who for some unknown reason are still reading this far, are now feeling the intense motivation to drop a hasty smoke bomb. Exit post left.
So no, it’s not super straightforward for those outside of Denmark but here are a few tips to get you started. What makes the experience of navigating this space ever more delightful is that some of these streaming services only offer certain films for specific periods of time or only during a particular film festival time period. Which means there’s a window of temporary access that just makes the hunt ever more exciting. Still with me? Okay try these on for size:
- Check out the film trailers here on the CPH:DOX Youtube channel
- You can also access some of the films through Grand Hjemmebio’s Home Cinema channel via subscription.
- You can access some of the best European independent films via the Mubi streaming subscription service.
- You can access some of these films and many more from european film festivals through dafilms via subscription.
This all sounds a little difficult so what’s the point?
a. Looking for future scan hits or seeds of change is about finding the unique, the contrarian perspective, the outlier, the early framing. The more outlier the perspective, the more interesting the scan hit. At least in the discovery stage. So it kinda means stepping outside online tech journals, bloggers of influence and news scanning . . what the?
b. We talk in futures studies about the decolonisation of futures and the need for new alternative and inclusive ways of knowing and seeing.
But we often neglect to acknowledge that despite our best efforts, our ‘web searches’ in pursuit of the outlier future scan hits, the overlooked, the outside contexts of cultural capital . . are still algorithmically-driven. Tangible example; my web searches from Denmark for the SAME TOPIC using the SAME search terms, yield completely different results.
So of course now you can venture down the geo-spoofing rabbit hole working out how you can reset your IP address to make the streaming site bouncers think your macbook is danish. ExpressVPN is worth a look. . . See VPNs are not just for security conscious corporates or porn users; they can also be the new best friend for the contextually curious. You’re welcome.
c. Even if you can’t find the movie / be bothered to watch or afford the subscription fee; there’s still much to discovered by finding the films. Use them as a springboard for your futures research by considering:
- What narrative does the film suggest about either the historical frame, the dynamics or drivers of change or the possible futures in this domain?
- What language, phrasing, framing or ideas does it surface that you hadn’t considered?
- What else can you find out about the director / writer / humans mentioned?
- What have other humans written about the film?
Tip: check out film industry resource IMDb and other award sites for film commentary.
Failing that, you can always watch the film trailer on Youtube for free.
