In a new video artwork, Isaac Julien brings an overloaded, poetic, and intentionally exaggerated visual experience, where philosophy, science, and science fiction come together in a reflection on human connections and constant change.
Set in the historic setting of “Cosmic House,” a postmodernist house built by Charles Jencks and Maggie Keswick, the film is set amidst a space that itself aims to represent the cosmic order in architectural form. In this context, Julien’s work appears as a new layering on an already symbolically charged space.
The 25-minute film, shown on a single screen amidst numerous mirrors, stars actresses Sheila Atim and Gwendoline Christie as quasi-divine figures in a futuristic universe. They move between different settings — from a Renaissance palace to a modern glass house to the “Cosmic House” itself — as they discuss the end of the world, time, and the nature of God.
This visual narrative also features hybrid creatures such as the "cyber starfish", spaceships, and landscapes filled with biological and technological elements, creating a world where the boundaries between nature and technology gradually disappear.
A film built on ideas and texts
The film's script is built on fragments of various texts, where an important place is occupied by the novel "Parable of the Sower" by Octavia E. Butler. Butler's work, set in a dystopian future, serves as a basis for reflection on change, faith and the constant transformation of reality.
At the heart of this thought lies the idea that nothing is static: everything is in motion and in constant transformation. This translates into the film as a visual poetry that connects philosophy with image.
Between big ideas and the risk of excess
The film walks a fine line between philosophical thought and aesthetic excess. The numerous references – from mythology to ecological theory and literature – create a dense intellectual experience, which can be challenging for the viewer.
Depending on the context of the show, the reaction to the work varies: in a modern gallery it may seem huge and intense, while in the more intimate and conceptual space of “Cosmic House” it acquires a more natural harmony with the environment.
Identity as something in motion
One of the film's central ideas is the rejection of identity as a rigid category. The characters are constantly transformed — from human figures to hybrid forms like animals or drones — suggesting that every life form and every consciousness is part of a larger web of interconnectedness.
This concept is related to the idea that the division between "us" and "other" is artificial, and that everything in the universe is connected.
An ecological and philosophical message
Essentially, the work raises a simple but essential question: if we understood that we are connected to everything around us, would we behave differently towards the world?
In this sense, Julien's film also becomes a reflection on the ecological crisis and the need for new forms of coexistence, approaching the ideas of philosophers like Donna Haraway, who emphasizes the importance of accepting change and coexisting with the uncertainty of modern times.
A work for modernity
Although built on a complex and sometimes excessive artistic language, the film ends with a clear message: the world is changing and there is no turning back.
In this new reality, the need for coexistence, understanding and acceptance of the fact that identities, borders and ways of thinking are in constant transformation is emphasized. /GazetaExpress/
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