THE LAST RESORT: A LOOPING HISTORY

Video, 10min 50s, Pool lounge, 3.75m x 2.65 m x 0.75 m

«THE LAST RESORT: A LOOPING HISTORY» presents a rich tapestry of visual and narrative layers, combining original content with found footage that spans historical and contemporary sources, including documentary clips, feature films, and advertisements. These elements collectively explore the concept of seasteading, woven into a narrative that eschews a linear structure.

The video unfolds in two parts: the first segment layers computer-generated island imagery with archival footage of Thor Heyerdahl’s expeditions and a cryptocurrency commercial from the Seasteading Institute. The second segment contrasts a historical speech by French President Charles De Gaulle about the isolation of French Polynesia with Epeli Hau’ofa’s views from his essay, «Our Sea of Islands.» This dialogue explores themes of real estate, colonization in the 1960s, and contemporary seasteading, reflecting on local and global perceptions of marine territories.

A polysemous dialogue between a native Polynesian speaker and an English commercial voiceover runs through the narrative, framing the thematic explorations and linking historical colonization to modern libertarian ideals. This interplay illustrates the ongoing and cyclical debates over marine territories as spaces of both conflict and coexistence.

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