The Conspiracy of Longevity | Documentary Production
The Conspiracy of Longevity was my final year university project exploring extended human lifespans in relation to a changing future of work from a conspiratorial angle. This film was brought to and acclaimed by British documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis.
Head here for further information on the project!
Human lifespans are increasing significantly due to exponential advances in science and technology, meaning we can live longer, healthier lives. But this extended lifespan comes at a price and it is no accident; we must now work to sustain ourselves until we’re very old, retirement becoming a distant, perhaps non-existent, prospect. With a fear of death having already been culturally, socially and historically constructed, where we desire a longer life to outrun death for as long as possible, we fall into the trap ourselves. In result, we are being bred like dairy cows to work like dairy cows by those who govern us, feeding and fuelling an outdated capitalist industrial system.
Through five main outcomes, primarily a documentary film and interactive installation, my project aims to provide new images and stories for political discourse, using conspiracy as a tool for critical thinking in a post-truth world. By addressing these issues and raising awareness to them, I explore a future of work where post-capitalism reigns, universal basic income is widespread, automation proliferates, and “work” is reduced to finding comfort in typing on a screen - giving away data to fulfil an innate human urge to be functional or feel of some purpose.
The main question thus remains: what becomes of human existence when work may no longer be the main determiner of wealth and prosperity in society?
#1 The Documentary Film
This documentary film is an experimental exploration of the themes in my project, not being a documentary trying to prove the conspiracy to be true or not. And after all, what decent conspiracy isn’t followed by a documentary about it? Check out the trailer above!
It is roughly 40 minutes in length and is composed of 14 sub-sections, including: interviews, archived footage, animations, filmed models, experiments and prototypes, research footage, and a scripted and performed monologue by myself as a conspiracy theorist.
Those interviewed feature Professor of Psychology Chris French, famous mysteries and conspiracies author, speaker and researcher Andy Thomas, and Sam Knight and Callum Watts from the start-up Pollen8.
Notably, I visited Terry Prince at Beechenhill farm, who milks his cows in a more traditional way, in one big group, twice a day, almost pushing the cows where he wants them to be. But my visit to Nortons Dairy Farm and interview with the owner, Emily Norton, revealed an alternative way of milking cows, one where a voluntary robotic milking system milks the cows 24/7. The cows choose when they want to be milked and are free flow through the milking parlour, incentivised to visit the robot. This research made it clear that in a future of work, we will be less like Terry’s cows, traditionally pushed to be milked, and more like Emily’s cows, choosing when to be milked and wanting to be milked to feel of purpose and to relieve ourselves.
Illustrations that I animated for the project - these feature throughout the film and emphasise points made by my interviewees.
Check out reportage of my project in the media here!