HYDRA

Myths or science fiction literature can help interpret the void that reason is not able to grasp, and can, at times, even forecast the unpredictable. Such is the case with the prophetic 1962 novel "The Drowned World", by one of the most relevant writers in the sci-fi genre, James Ballard. The novel depicts a post-apocalyptic future in which global warming has rendered most of the Earth uninhabitable. "The Drowned World" has been a significant source of reference for Hydra’s work in progress. Fiction became reality in Venice in November 2019. The persistent rains and floods affecting the city became a symbol of accelerating climate change, an indicator of this planet’s overloaded metabolism. In Hydra, Tirelli combines fact and fiction as a means of conveying humankind’s ability to adapt to chaos. 
Sara Tirelli’s own words regarding Hydra: "Despite the fact that climate change is already affecting cities around the world, predictions of the future and sci-fi imagery still dominate the discourse. My video juxtaposes fictional scenarios and reality, myth and memory, and aims at capturing the ability of the human being to adapt to chaotic breakdowns. The footage, filmed with a full spectrum camera, is not a fanciful depiction of an imaginary world, but instead captures the existence of natural traits that exceed our ability to perceive them. I see in the apocalypse an opportunity to dismiss old value and belief systems, and to embrace new perspectives and modes of perception in a redemptive process that can reset our sense of the self".

Cinematography and Editing: Sara Tirelli
Sound Sculptor: Giuseppe Cordaro