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 fictional account that takes place in 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; ‘News from Somewhere’, ‘The Big Freeze’ and ‘Destructive Destruction’.
‘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.
‘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.