The film was produced with support from Strelka Institute of Architecture, Media and Design within The New Normal research programme. Special thanks to Liam Young and Nathan Su for conceptual and technical advice.

Путь

Notes on the Anthropocene

Put (eng. Journey) is laid out as a parallel stream of two stories, both of which are teetering the fine line between death and life. Together with the camera’s gaze, we, a silently observing audience, are wandering through a meditative arrangement of post-anthropocentric, yet beautiful landscapes, depicting the irreversible marks of industrial production left on both nature and people. Simultaneously, the story of a young man is narrated: pulled by his desire to escape death, he sets off to find a place where he would live forever. On his way, he encounters three old men who, one after another, propose him long, yet not eternal life. He refuses their offers.

The story finds its peak as soon as both the young man and the viewer reach the ‘Castle of Eternity.’ In the hallowed halls of technology, time grinds to a halt. The ritualistic murmur of machinic repetition has created a sacred space for self-petrification, sustaining itself through permanent ingestion of its world. While eternity emerges on one side, everything beyond these walls falls apart in an excess of chaos and entropy. Amidst the ruins of the Anthropocene, only ecstasy remains as a last mode of survival.

Co-Directed by Igor Sladoljev, Gleb Papyshev, Anna-Luise Lorenz, Olesia Kovalenko & Alexander Geysman | Cinematography & Edit by Igor Sladoljev | Sound design by Gleb Papyshev | Graphics by Anna-Luise Lorenz & Olesia Kovalenko | Voiceover by Alexander Geysman | Story adapted from 'Go ask the time' by John Berger | Song 'Funnel of Love' written by Charlie McCoy & Kent Westberry, performed by SQURL ft. Medeline Follin, ATP Recordings | Supported by Strelka Institute of Media, Architecture and Design, 2019