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What is Art on a Quiet Earth?
A thought experiment on the meaning of art.
The Quiet Earth is a New Zealand produced science fiction film directed by Geoff Murphy. A secret military project results in every animal on Earth vanishing instantly.
It appears the only ones left were dead at the moment of the vanishing and have come back to life. A suicidal drug overdose, a knife in the toaster, a vicious fight.
The main character wakes with the impression that he is the only person left on Earth.
So begins the thought experiment. What is art if you are the only person left on Earth?
Let’s assume that you are fine for food and shelter. If you’re the only one left, those cans of food at the local supermarket will keep you going for a while.
How long would the electricity and internet last without human intervention? Not long I expect, so you won’t be binging the latest Netflix series.
In this elegaic moment your mind turns to art. What does it all mean? What did it all mean?
What was the hand of humanity trying to tell me?
You hop on your tricycle and head down to the local art gallery. Assuming you’re in a reasonably sized city, that would be Hobart in my case, there’s a chance there are some…
