Jarosław Kozakiewicz
R/evolution
The inspiration for Jarosław Kozakiewicz's film R/evolution were Asian hornets and their extraordinary ability to convert solar energy into kinetic energy by using microscopic collectors placed on their abdomens. The similarity between hornets and humans as species, for example living in organized communities and eating meat of other predators, became an impulse to create a futuristic fantasy about a new man.
Based on the National Geographic Television’s Hornets from Hell (2006), Kozakiewicz created an animated film showing people who, thanks to evolution, are able to obtain kinetic energy using natural solar batteries placed on their bodies. These skills have revolutionized the energy market and energy production, which in turn has brought on revolutionary changes in the way we live and build cities. Eventually, competition between nation states and the related conflicts over access to energy resources have faded.
The environmental meaning of the film, although based on utopia, is an inspiring voice in the discussion about the future of life on our planet. It indicates the importance of managing energy sources and suggests a direction for the development of technology that could lead to solving of the most pressing global problems. These would mean technologies that could enable the evolution of the human species that could bring about a real revolution. In this dream, we also find faith in art as a field that can build social awareness and shape pro-environmental attitudes.