BEFORE THE ANTHROPOCENE “Isolated in Eternity” 

PART TWO

THE MOVIE by Jefferson Vimana

Anthropocene

ˈanθrəpəˌsiːn/

adjective

• relating to or denoting the current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.
• the Anthropocene period.
• noun: Anthropocene

Firstly I will re-use my introduction to my initial blog post on the first Movie “Before the Anthropocene” Movement Alpha ‘Unearthing the Human’ 

“In an attempt to bridge the world of the past and the current age we find ourselves literally having to travel back in time from a future point. Maybe this point is even further into the future than we can imagine. Only in that we can then understand the current point while looking back. The current point though seems to never end. It is the journey most of us don’t even realise we are on. Are we close to the end point? The closing chapter? If we can understand the world now including the past maybe we can find new answers to the complexity of humanity and its journey into the future that won’t include our demise.”

My initial blog post covers most of the major themes of both movies (https://derekjamescarter.com/2018/07/16/before-the-anthropocene-unearthing-the-human-by-jefferson-vimana/) Though in this second movie I felt quite overwhelmed by the theme of magic that I didn’t touch on in my initial post. There is something to be said for technology. It is itself a talisman and lens with which to peruse the world around us. The more advanced it becomes the more we are aware of worldwide violence and injustices to the point where we either open ourselves to the world or close ourselves off from it. If the technology of the future becomes a talisman connecting the past and the future, will this show us the problematic nature with ourselves and nature so we can go beyond violence? Even though technology takes on supernatural forms in this movie it is still somewhat fragmented and problematic. The film brings so many ideas together, layering time and space to show us injustices and scenes of chaos as well as the calm and majesty of nature. This shows our interconnectedness which is overwhelming and difficult to process in our day to day lives. It is hard to keep up as the world seems to spiral out of control yet sit quite comfortably on a device we carry in our hands. Though that is the advantage of time-travel. You can connect to the past and the future. You can see it was always problematic, yet the past seems to disappear and we then momentarily forget only to be reminded. Although some never forget, they journey through the past and future and use the talismans to find the magic in life and existence. All objects take on their magical form and tell us of the mechanisation of the whole universe. The moving of energy in destruction and creation. The domination of minorities and the buildings in Redfern are overpowering. They are designed to look down on humanity. We can see through the filter of technology a world full of wonder and magic but also a tragedy. The time traveller is aware of the magic in the world and every person place and thing. There are spectres of our current year and the past. All the while nature tries to sustain itself from the onslaught of humanity and humanity tries to sustain itself from its onslaught upon itself. Technology and nature are one in this film. They interact as the film shows us the past, present and future. There is a way forward through seeing injustices in architectural forms which stem from physical and cultural aggressions against first nation peoples and minorities. Also, the aggression against the natural world that sustains us is visited. It looks as though if you see the magic and tragic connections of the world you could find yourself isolated in eternity, an enlightened state where you can travel through space and time in a quest to unearth the truth. All the while showing this truth to others who may or may not be aware of their power to change the world ultimately for the better for all life on Earth.