Alienation and Charisma is a cautionary tale, set in a near-future world, where order and chaos are governed by micro-gridded affinity groups, DAOs and consensus rituals that emerged after The Shattering.

This new model of commonage has alluded to well-known progressive tactics, working from the inside and outside, in a pincer movement from above and below, and has framed its fight as one against cultural hegemony. Yet it is unclear whether its use of popular rhetorics actually will lead to a radical redistribution of resources and a new worlding.

Each morning, 365 days a year, 2 members of each affinity group drive an infinity symbol across the city they are located in. They cross the symbol’s crux at sunrise, during these drives, members of other affinity groups can enter the limousine on foot or over the car phone to seek council, muse and pass information.

The future has arrived, but is this the future we had hoped for?

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“Alienation and Charisma” is a film by Omsk Social Club and was created within the frame of the research and mediation project “GameChanger”, which is curated and produced by the Curatorial Collective for Public Art and SUPERMARKT Berlin and realised with the kind support of HauptstadtKulturFonds. Special thanks to Videoart at Midnight, Pylon lab and /rosa gallery for presenting the project.