Back Story: In Search of Silence

“Nothing has changed the nature of man as much as the loss of silence,” wrote philosopher Max Picard between the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. A few years later, in 1953, the doomsday clock of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists was two minutes to midnight—the world was then on the brink of an atomic war.

The first song on Roger Waters latest album begins with the voice of Donald Trump. "Is this the life we really want?" Water asks. In 2018, the doomsday clock is at 1 1/2 minutes before twelve.

The earth is heating up, and with it, sea levels are rising. Glaciers are melting away. In the winter of 2017/18, the temperature at the North Pole went up to zero degrees Celsius.

We learned that algorithms could influence the outcome of political elections. We are amazed to discover that software more and more enters our lives only to influence our decisions. It will not be surprising that they will take the lead completely. “For thousands of years people have not known what they believe - today they do not believe what they know,” wrote philosopher Richard David Precht.

Icelandic musician Olafur Arnalds said in an interview about his song, “This Place is a Shelter“: “My living room is a kind of a shelter that protects me from the madness of the world.” I find this protection when I am outdoors in search of silence. Picard’s statement is debatable, of course. That human society is in deep trouble, too. It seems that many are overwhelmed by all the noise around us.

I want to create a counterpoint by showing silent moments with the intention of taking the viewer away from the noise of everyday life.