This is the international film premiere of Irish artist Patrick Hough’s new work The Two Faces of Tomorrow presented By The National Sculpture Factory In Partnership With Cork International Film Festival.
The Two Faces of Tomorrow is an experimental documentary-fiction film about algae; how they have shaped all life on Earth, from the deep past to the near future. The film follows an unseen researcher as they discover ancient Roman baths plagued by toxic blooms; cutting-edge laboratories developing biofuel and food supplements; collections of fossilised seaweeds and hominin skulls; and a Mars rover preparing for its exploration of the red planet. As the researcher learns more about the relationship between Capitalism and algae, algae and the Earth, the Earth and humans, they begin to understand the vast web of violence, extraction and exploitation, across human and non-human lives, that has led to our current moment of climate crisis.
In this hypnotic documentary-fiction film, an unseen researcher uncovers the enduring influence of algae on our planet, from the deep past through to the near future. The film follows their journey as they discover ancient Roman baths plagued by toxic blooms; cutting-edge laboratories developing biofuel and food supplements; collections of fossilised seaweeds; and a Mars rover preparing for its exploration of the red planet. As the researcher learns more about the relationship between Capitalism and algae, algae and the Earth, the Earth and humans, they begin to understand the vast web of violence, extraction and exploitation, across human and non-human lives, that has led to our current moment of climate crisis.
Patrick Hough is an Irish artist living and working in London. Incorporating moving image, photography and installation, Hough’s work excavates the increasingly entangled nature of archeological, geological and ecological worlds. Patrick received a BA in Fine Art Media from NCAD, Dublin in 2011 and an MA in Fine Art from the Royal College of Art, London in 2013. He is a recipient of the 2017 Jerwood / FVU Awards and the 2017 PLASTIK Award. Recent exhibitions include: The Black River of Herself, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, UK and The Museum of Ancient History, UCD Classical Museum, IRL.
