Year: 2023
Medium: HD video
Duration: 5 min 51 sec
Newton’s Sleep is a film that explores the intersection of classification, power, and meaning-making. The film follows a data labeller navigating both physical and digital worlds, highlighting the limitations of classification in knowledge construction. The protagonist's interaction with a subjective question on beauty exposes the inadequacies of binary classification, proposing poetry and disruption as alternatives to rigid systems.
The dandelion serves as a symbol of resilience and disobedience within classification systems, disrupting the normative boundaries. Its presence in the dataset acts as a glitch and a virus, prompting reflection and transforming the protagonist's perspective. The incorporation of poetry challenges clear annotation, proposing an alternative to rigid classification. The deliberate ambiguity in narration empowers the audience to interpret and engage actively with the work, echoing Barthes and Eco's theories on reader participation. By rejecting authoritative narration, the project encourages viewers to critically examine their own thought processes and the systems that shape their understanding of information.
Ultimately, the film invites viewers to question prevailing systems of knowledge construction and classification, provoking thought rather than providing definitive answers. Its philosophical nature prompts reflection on the complexities of navigating information in a digital age. Through the dandelion motif, poetry, and narrative ambiguity, it proposes a pathway towards a more nuanced understanding of meaning-making processes.