"Born of the Burden" live video synthesis presented during Spring Into Art

A TOPICAL GRADIENT BETWEEN WESTERN COVERAGE OF CONFLICT AND GLORIFICATION, AND THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE TRUTH ON THE GROUND, THOSE WITHIN AREA OF EFFECT, OVERALL DECAY AND POISONING OF LANDSCAPE.

A topical gradient between “Western” coverage of international conflict, the cacophony of social media one must grapple with to find truth, and the contrast between the truth on the ground. With respect to those affected by the world’s most heartbreaking struggles, we attempt to peel away that thinnest of veils between our society and that of those in nations most inoculated with instability. A collage of American culture, social media, and advertising clashes against raw international civilian and field journalist perspectives of recently headlining crises. Born of the Burden utilizes a completely original score (Contributed by “The Spirit”), live video synthesis and encoding, and creative use of Python to secure printed imagery of any frame at will.

Our work is intended to display for dissection the collective amnesia of the American Media, moreover, to simulate the experience of civilians living comfortably within the clutches of algorithmic content curation. Struggling to cope with topics that are all-too-common for purposes of social media engagement, yet, completely robbed of the legitimate international discourse that they deserve. As the West has decided to secure its own interests, a thick wall has formed between the average American and unadulterated information. A veritable “Fog of War” has risen not only on the battlefield, but in our ability to discern truth from machine generation, prescribed agenda, and the authenticity of some of our world leaders’ stated intentions.

We do not provide commentary beyond a perceived “tongue-in-cheek” schadenfreude of our “modern” culture directed towards the entirety of the world. As administration changes, so does policy, yet tangible and consistent life-improvement seems to escape a sizable portion of the world’s population. Born of the Burden lays bare the perceived impermanence of conflict on other nations’ soil, and attempts to capture a short trip beyond the comforting wall of content that we are all so gluttonously provided. Despite our inherent ignorance, only boasting the ability to interact with these topics through a screen, we wish to honor those affected by situations our media would rather discuss only while profitable.  

CONTENT DISCLAIMER: Extreme nihilism, wartime footage, graphic imagery, sudden loud noises, and topical political criticism.