Tech Decay: Neptune Frost
Sat 10/19/2024 • 7:30PM - 9:40PM PDT
Billy Wilder Theater
In-person:
Introduction by filmmaker Asuka Lin. Q&A with filmmakers Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman, moderated by Public Programmer Beandrea July.
Admission is free. No advance reservations. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. The box office opens one hour before the event.
After years of use and misuse, the technological materials we rely on to communicate become obsolete and are thrown away to rot. This program imagines the post-tech era in which these discarded materials take their own course, at times seeking revenge against their creators. Toxic and deadly mining of coltan used to power lithium batteries sets the scene in Neptune Frost. Core Dump — Dakar tracks the effects on humans scavenging and melting minerals for resale, and in A.I. Mama, recycled scraps of tech are assembled to revive forgotten dreams. These narratives surrounding postconsumer tech products shine a light on human efforts to create, control and destroy methods of communication.
Notes by Nicole Ucedo