RETROSPECTIVE TRANSMIGRATING ANIMA II: SOFT MACHINES MORPHING

RETROSPEKTIVA TRANSMIGRACIJA ANIME II: PREOBLIKOVANJE MEHKIH STROJEV

Thursday, 26. 9. 2023 at 17.00 / Vetrinj mansion, big hall

Četrtek, 26. 9. 2023 ob 17.00 / Vetrinjski dvor, velika dvorana

Curated and introduced by Nastia Naumenko

Kurira in predstavlja Nastia Naumenko

The 2016 World Economic Forum outlined a vision of a glossy, sterile and neon-lighted extra fast future, in which the fourth industrial revolution will be serving us a ubiquitous-mobile-supercomputing-self-driving-cars-neuro-technological-brain-enhancements buffet.
We will finally be able to morph into superhumans - the most productive, fungi-and bacteria-repellent and, desirably, forever-young versions of ourselves.
While this scenario may be a reality for some, how many of us can afford to dream the same technocratic dream? Some of these selected films are beautiful hallucinations on living that way - flirting with the conventions of a freshly-rendered world, and scenarios in which we’ve consumed (in our own manner) a piece of this supercharged cake.
Others, however, appeal in very different languages to the post-nature concept. They are soft reminders that we, as humans, are only a small part of the bigger and, at least, equally intelligent whole. These works challenge our heavily romanticized and centuries-old engineered perceptions of nature - illustrating how our narratives blind us to alternative and inherently queer visions of the future. The melting-pot of organisms, processes and perspectives that we call the environment spills over into our apocalyptic predictions, where the end of humanity is considered an end to every being. These films envision technology, people and more-than-human agents working for and alongside each other, with aspirations that can serve as foundations for new narratives. While the scenarios definitely lack the energy of those contributed by the 1%, they are adventures definitely worth pursuing.
Because if one could become anything, why on earth would they choose to become a Ford Bronco in antimatter blue?
Nastia Naumenko is a Ukrainian filmmaker and visual artist currently based in Vienna.
In their works, Nastia investigates the process of identity formation and its fluctuation through both the personal and collective lens by navigating between real and speculative environments, interspecies relationships and various cosmologies. Combining documentary filmmaking with found footage, animation, and performance, allows them to reflect on the ways in which power and political structures are embedded in various narratives: from tales and magic rituals to family cookbooks and public archives.

Their works have been shown at 20+ festivals including London AFF, Warsaw FF, Kaboom AFF and FilmFest Dresden. They’re currently working on their next short film - The Firebird.