Ayman Zedani

the return of the old ones (2020), single channel video installation

Zedani’s video installation the return of the old ones (2020) is an experimental film that offers a poetic perspective from a non-human entity, and was written in collaboration with the independent researcher and writer Saira Ansari. The dialogue weaves factual information with a science fiction narrative to explore the story of oil through the life, death and resurrection of ancient giant fungi known as Prototaxites. Preserved remnants of this type of fungi have only been found in a few places in the world, including Saudi Arabia and the United States. The story reminds us that fossil fuel comes from ancient life forms that have been crushed down into raw black energy, and the impact that it has had on the human story over the past hundred years.