2021
HD video installation, loop
Set in 2027, the science fiction film Children of Men (2006) depicts a dystopian future where almost two decades of mass infertility among the human population have brought societies all over the world to the brink of collapse. In a scene that takes place on a train in the United Kingdom, which is among the few nations in the world where the government still stands, an overhead monitor plays an advertisement featuring a rapid montage of global cities that have descended into chaos, before ending with a triumphant declaration of the UK’s resilience.
In the video installation 2027, footage of selected cities from within that montage, lasting no more than a few frames for each, has been extracted and re-edited into a looped video, turning a split-second recognition of a city’s collapse into an extended encounter with the apocalyptic vision the images present. While some depictions appear to reinforce stereotypes of particular societies, others appear completely arbitrary, thus compelling the viewer to reconcile their impressions of the real-world city with its representation in the Hollywood film. In drawing attention to this geopolitical frame, the work invites reflection on why certain futures are more imaginable in some places than others.