„When I Becomes Whale: Posthuman Narratives in a Fluid Future“
At a time when environmental collapse and algorithmic governance are reshaping the conditions of life, we are faced with an urgent question: How can we imagine forms of subjectivity, memory, and adaptation that transcend the human-centered worldview? This lecture-presentation explores the speculative film project When I Becomes Whale, situated at the intersection of posthumanist theory, ecological transformation, and AI-generated aesthetics. Drawing on Rosi Braidotti’s conception of posthuman subjectivity as a web of interdependencies among humans, non-human agents, and technological systems, the project challenges anthropocentric narratives and envisions alternative modes of being.
The presentation unfolds around the development of a narrative in which a human protagonist confronts climate-induced ecological collapse and undergoes a perceptual and bodily transformation toward an aquatic, post-terrestrial identity. Set in a future where AI-driven predictive modeling mediates memory and adaptation, the film speculates on what it means to evolve, not regress, into environmental integration.
In the context of HackThePromise Festival 2025, the project engages with the idea of hacking the future—not through technological disruption alone, but by reconfiguring how we relate to bodies, environments, and non-human intelligence. Through a combination of lecture and selected film excerpts, the presentation will articulate the conceptual, ethical, and aesthetic questions that arise when speculative design, AI-generated imagery, and ecological theory converge. It reflects on how cinema can function as both a research method and a form of philosophical inquiry—offering not merely representation, but a sensory and affective experience of posthuman futures.
