Mar
2009
The film: Age of Stupid
.
I’ve just returned home from the premiere screening of the film, Age of Stupid, unquestionable reaction is... see it as soon as you can.
And whether you see it or not, watch out for the reviews, they will be a barometer of reaction, intelligent, or otherwise. Apart from the fact that it’s not every day that you have a film telling the world it’s stupid (even if that’s getting a more popular subject, and do you have to wonder why...) it’s not often that you get a country’s Prime Minster publicly committing their whole country to be carbon neutral by 2010. Never-mind that it is the relatively small country, the Maldives; In the after film screening, a live national linkup allowed this one country to show that it is possible to make such a critical pledge, and most of all that it is not only driven by an ambition of thought, but action.
Franny, Age of Stupid’s director then both congratulated and condemned the UK for it’s aim of a 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 (the date in which the film predicts as the end of the world). Within about 10 minutes she swept environment secretary Ed Miliband aside for his unwavering commitment to his setting up of new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth (his argument suggesting that the UK needs to be a model for how to increase greenhouse gasses at a slower rate, rather than cutting them altogether, like the Maldives. Solutions are never cut and dry, for Kingsnorth or the Maldives (in the first real action needs to be balanced with highly strategic futurology, and in the second, no matter how carbon neutral the Maldives become, they will still need people to fly for the ecotourism to work), and whilst reactionism isn’t always the best policy, there is certainly clear need for new thinking, powerful response and immediate action to be taken on all fronts.
Still from Age of Stupid, image use courtesy of Spanner Films
Like most attendees of the premiere, I could write a whole blog on the issues which are contained within this film and the reactions to it (or lack thereof in certain quarters). Whilst the film has received criticism and praise in equal measure this seems to pivot on a balance between the art of the film and its content.
Two points to sum up, for now... The first view of the archive – in which Pete Postlethwaite’s character resides – shows a massive warehouse floor containing the world’s art treasures rescued by the nations of the globe and saved from the wind, fire and watery depths of climate change. How this curation of art – requiring international agreement – actually worked baffles the mind: nations were able to collaborate to save their cultural artefacts, rather than to save their people. Is our fascination with the world’s art like our addition to consumerism, there to the end? Or is it saying that if only we had embraced true creativity! Let’s say both.
Whilst the film can rightly be criticized for being a little unbalanced in some areas, like the demonization of India’s low cost airlines there are a broad number of realizations when what seem to be caricatured situations are actually real, we realise that actually the specifics aren’t the concern, it is the massive generality of Global Warming that should invite our full criticism.
Age of Stupid launches on 20 March. Check the film’s website for more information.
I’ve just returned home from the premiere screening of the film, Age of Stupid, unquestionable reaction is... see it as soon as you can.
And whether you see it or not, watch out for the reviews, they will be a barometer of reaction, intelligent, or otherwise. Apart from the fact that it’s not every day that you have a film telling the world it’s stupid (even if that’s getting a more popular subject, and do you have to wonder why...) it’s not often that you get a country’s Prime Minster publicly committing their whole country to be carbon neutral by 2010. Never-mind that it is the relatively small country, the Maldives; In the after film screening, a live national linkup allowed this one country to show that it is possible to make such a critical pledge, and most of all that it is not only driven by an ambition of thought, but action.
Franny, Age of Stupid’s director then both congratulated and condemned the UK for it’s aim of a 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 (the date in which the film predicts as the end of the world). Within about 10 minutes she swept environment secretary Ed Miliband aside for his unwavering commitment to his setting up of new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth (his argument suggesting that the UK needs to be a model for how to increase greenhouse gasses at a slower rate, rather than cutting them altogether, like the Maldives. Solutions are never cut and dry, for Kingsnorth or the Maldives (in the first real action needs to be balanced with highly strategic futurology, and in the second, no matter how carbon neutral the Maldives become, they will still need people to fly for the ecotourism to work), and whilst reactionism isn’t always the best policy, there is certainly clear need for new thinking, powerful response and immediate action to be taken on all fronts.
Still from Age of Stupid, image use courtesy of Spanner Films
Like most attendees of the premiere, I could write a whole blog on the issues which are contained within this film and the reactions to it (or lack thereof in certain quarters). Whilst the film has received criticism and praise in equal measure this seems to pivot on a balance between the art of the film and its content.
Two points to sum up, for now... The first view of the archive – in which Pete Postlethwaite’s character resides – shows a massive warehouse floor containing the world’s art treasures rescued by the nations of the globe and saved from the wind, fire and watery depths of climate change. How this curation of art – requiring international agreement – actually worked baffles the mind: nations were able to collaborate to save their cultural artefacts, rather than to save their people. Is our fascination with the world’s art like our addition to consumerism, there to the end? Or is it saying that if only we had embraced true creativity! Let’s say both.
Whilst the film can rightly be criticized for being a little unbalanced in some areas, like the demonization of India’s low cost airlines there are a broad number of realizations when what seem to be caricatured situations are actually real, we realise that actually the specifics aren’t the concern, it is the massive generality of Global Warming that should invite our full criticism.
Age of Stupid launches on 20 March. Check the film’s website for more information.
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Serious about sustainability
When the subject of ‘sustainability’ comes up, it’s not often dealt with through humour. In fact, ‘sustainable’ isn’t a particularly compelling word in many ways; think about its use in other contexts, how would you react if your partner suggested your relationship was ‘sustainable’, not exactly excitement city is it!
From another point of view the ‘S’ word has been used for so long by the greenerati – scientists and longstanding campaigners and many others – who, whilst rightly passionate, aren’t necessarily the ones with facility for PR. Perhaps this has given the term associations of ‘boring’, too alternative, etc. Personaly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the term: a word will take on new meaning, having potential to change over time: we simply need to see it as a fully 4-dimensional reality, give it a fuller life, broader meaning. Let’s understand its possibility, its massive relevance to every part of our lives, and also through humour, why not. Just maybe being sustainable doesn’t need to be that serious-a-deal after all... (so long as you watch where you recycle your plastic bottles that is!)
Creative accounting?
01/03/0908:55
Categories:
Practice |
Full
listing
It’s good to hear some positive news, not least when the focus is how creativity might solve the financial challenges faced across the sectors:
A report from Nesta, published in Designweek suggests that between 2009 and 2013, the UK's creative industries will grow, on average, by 4 per cent, more than double the rate of the rest of the economy. The sector will then outstrip financial services, which currently employs 1.2 million professionals, according to Financial Services Skills Council figures.
The organisation predicts that, by 2013, there may be as many as 180 000 creative businesses in the sector, compared to the current number of 148 000, and the sector will be contributing as much as £85bn to the UK economy, compared to £57bn now.
Jonathan Kestenbaum, chief executive of Nesta, says, 'Today's figures point to the creative industries, and specifically the talent we have nurtured within it, becoming a key driver in the UK's recovery from recession.'