02° MM.XXVI

Meta noir.

A century ago, the German Expressionism of the 1920s prioritised the artist's inner emotional landscape over any attempt to replicate reality. This avant-garde movement with its oneiric elements and chiaroscuro lighting would go on to influence Hollywood’s film noir. Since then the noir genre has continually reinvented itself, from neo and neon, to cyber and urban noir. Yet at its heart, it continues to grapple with the existential human condition when confronted by adversity and the threat of annihilation.

'Metamodernism' is one of the more compelling current concepts trying to define today’s paradox of shared experience—a world caught between digital revolution and collective global responsibility in the face of climate change. Characterised by a return to a new sincerity and a sense of hopeful pragmatism, it may also represent the natural next step in the evolution of noir. This is film noir re:framed, meta noir.

Black and white photo of a woman in a white dress walking through a PVC strip curtain, one hand pushing one of the strips out of her way.
A person walking on a dark pavement, with one foot in the air and the shadow cast on the ground.
Broken mirror shards scattered on dark dirt ground, with a cigarette pack labeled 'Smoking kills' nearby.
Silhouettes of two adults and a child holding hands and walking on a paved surface. Shadows are cast on the ground in front of them.
Reflection of two men in a glass window of a building at night, with signs and lights visible in the background.
A disorganized pile of magazines and books spilled onto a pavement, with some pages scattered and an overturned wooden chair nearby.
Street art stencil graffiti of two human profiles with ponytails, against a textured window, with spray paint markings.
A black and white photo of a speaker cone inside an electronic device, with light reflecting off its surface.
Two people standing in front of a large sign with large text, both looking at their phones.
Industrial ceiling with metal beams, hanging lights, and a suspended grated platform in a building or warehouse.
Black and white photo of large industrial cooling or heating units with vents and fans, viewed through a window.
A black and white photo of torn pieces of paper scattered on a ground with a drain grate embedded in a concrete surface.
“Mors certa, vita incerta.”
— Incerti auctoris

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