Are we able to gaze up into the universe yet ignore the ground we’re standing on? Flowing like lava, this essayistic piece reveals something of the colonial burden of Western science while, at the same time, eclectically interweaving rational arguments with performative sequences. The film also considers the indigenous perspective, set in vivid contrast to the dehumanised shots of modern machinery and imposing compositions of the Hawaiian landscape.
The plan to construct a huge telescope on the sacred peak of Mauna Kea sparks controversy on Hawaii. Are we able to gaze up into the universe yet ignore the ground we’re standing on? This essayistic film reveals something of the colonial burden of contemporary Western science and places its advances in surprising contexts. Astronomers resemble mediaeval cartographers creating little maps for future expeditions. Polynesian boats might perhaps serve as a model for futuristic spacecraft. Flowing like lava, the film eclectically interweaves rational arguments with performative sequences, while the indigenous perspective is set in striking contrast to the dehumanised shots of hypermodern machinery and breathtaking compositions of the Hawaiian landscape.
Ondřej Pavlík
70 min / Color, DCP
Director Fern Silva
/ Dir. of Photography Fern Silva
/ Music Sergei Tcherepnin, Lea Bertucci
/ Editor Fern Silva
/ Producer Fern Silva
/ Contact Fern Silva
Fern Silva (1982, USA/Portugal). Selected filmography: Sahara Mosaic (2009, short), In the Absence of Light, Darkness Prevails (2010, short), Scales in the Spectrum of Space (2015, short doc.), Ride Like Lightning, Crash Like Thunder (2017, short), The Watchmen (2017, short), Rock Bottom Riser (2021, doc.).
Fern Silva
E-mail: [email protected]
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