/ The End of the 'End of History' ? /
In 1890, English writer William Morris published 'News From Nowhere' outlining his multidimensional view of a socialist utopia. In Morris’ book, change was brought about by a situation of crisis through which new paradigms and a new society emerged.
The End of the 'End of History?' is a series of 3 fictional animated essays describing the years following the aftermath of the 2008 Financial Crisis.
Drawing parallels to Morris’ work, the project speculates on how macroeconomic events could lead to economic crises, their respective social response and novel economic systems that could follow them.
The result are 3 films exploring the different outcomes of those events; 'Destructive Destruction', 'News from Somewhere' and 'The Big Freeze'.
'Destructive Destruction' deals with the social and political impact of the ever increasing speed and connectivity of financial services. It looks at the consequences of the accepted assumption that Big Data could be used to predict market behaviour and the resulting increase in gains.
'News from Somewhere' explores the current ideological appeal and future consequences of Rentier Capitalism. It questions the different faces of empowerment, freedom and development that characterise digital liberalism.
'The Big Freeze' looks at the implication of long term recession and ageing populations in developed economies. It examines the economic and political impact of mass immigration in those societies as a possible solution.
The films also have an interactive version where oil, gold and dollar prices are used in real time to influence in the narrative. Those indicators were chose for their close relation to situations of crisis. Dollar and gold being the most stable commodities whilst oil prices are related to industrial output, consumption and therefore recession.
The disruption in the narratives is a constant reminder of the influence exerted by economics beyond the sphere of financial markets.
The End of the 'End of History?' was presented at the following exhibition:
2017/18 - In Case of Emergency - Science Gallery Dublin - IRE
2015 - SHOW - Royal College of Art - UK
Special Thanks to:
Noam Toran
Sally Skinner
Prof. Mary Morgan
Dr. Nina Power
Dr. David Grover
Prof. Sarah Teasley
Luke Sturgeon
Pete Hudson
Riccardo Lardi
Year: 2015