Tan, KS., 2021.

How to Thrive in 2050

BBC Culture in Quarantine film commission.

8 Tentacular Workouts For A Tantalising Future! is a manifesto by an 'octopussy' for a more creative, decolonised, equitable and 'neuro-fantastic' future.

Blending discourse with mythology, interview with autobiography, geomancy with geopolitics, the intimate and the celestial, this explosive collage is a retort to our troubled moment of multiple crises.

Spanning performance, animation, interviews (including with artist Bob and Roberta Smith), text and original music composition, the 14-minute video-essay is a whirlwind of eight exercises for the body and mind.

Playful yet poignant, coy yet in-your-face, poetic yet pungent, it argues that in such times of despair, art can remind us to imagine how things can be, and that each of us must play an active part. Drawing on the words of Lorde, Bretch, Beckett, Abdelkader Benali and more, it calls on viewers to (re-)imagine, and act on, how things can become.

The film builds on the director's efforts since the pandemic, which are advancing conversations around creativity and neurodiversity, and the socio-political role of 'artfulness'.

Be prepared to be disorientated, surprised, provoked, and re-energised. Are you ready?