Ever wonder why, even though he gets his eyeglasses made there, Donald J. Trump just seems so afraid of China? In Sinofuturism, an hourlong video essay that brings together commercials, YouTube tutorials, films, and even bits of manga, artist Lawrence Lek may have come up with the reason why. “By embracing seven key stereotypes of Chinese society (Computing, Copying, Gaming, Studying, Addiction, Labor, and Gambling),” Lek explains, “[Sinofuturism] shows how China’s technological development can be seen as a form of Artificial Intelligence.” That’s right—if you’ve ever wondered why, while Afrofuturism’s been around since the 60s, Gulf Futurism the better half of this century, and Japanese futurism since about as long as anyone can remember, when the term Chinese sci-fi is spoken, the closest example you can come up with is 2046, sort of?
Well, let Lek’s Adam Curtis-on-Opposite Day film, Sinofuturism, be your bedtime story tonight.
Videos by VICE
Sinofuturism (1839 – 2046 AD) from Lawrence Lek on Vimeo.
Click here to visit Lawrence Lek’s website.
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