The US filmmaker John D Boswell (aka Melodysheep) is known for crafting meticulously researched CGI documentaries that, epic in both production and scope, probe the deep past and peer into the future. In his latest, Engineering Earth, Boswell surveys geoengineering projects – some quite speculative, others already underway, but all of them at least theoretically possible – to offer an audaciously hopeful vision of humanity’s trajectory. The operatic work takes viewers on a tour of strange, wondrous and beautiful potential futures, exploring concepts ranging from artificial tree forests to orbital solar power arrays accessed by space elevators, with the grand obstacles and potential risks only lightly addressed. Taken as a whole, these brief glimpses of bold, nascent ideas make a case for techno-optimism at a moment when, for many, such sentiments have fallen exceedingly out of vogue.
Video by Melodysheep
video
Making
On the Norwegian coast, a tree is transformed into a boat the old-fashioned way
6 minutes
video
Computing and artificial intelligence
A future in which ‘artificial scientists’ make discoveries may not be far away
9 minutes
video
Engineering
Can monumental ‘ice stupas’ help remote Himalayan villages survive?
15 minutes
video
Engineering
From simple motors to levitating trains – how design shapes innovation
24 minutes
video
Computing and artificial intelligence
The ‘cloud’ requires heaps of energy to stay aloft. Could synthetic DNA be the answer?
12 minutes
video
Art
Watch as Japan’s surplus trees are transformed into forest-tinted crayons
4 minutes
video
Technology and the self
A filmmaker finds a tactile beauty in the creation of her prosthetic leg
11 minutes
video
Engineering
For one of nature’s great builders, finding a mate means weaving the perfect nest
4 minutes
video
Engineering
A close-up look at electronic paper reveals its exquisite patterns – and limitations
9 minutes