Odyssée 2.0 is a photographic journey freely inspired by Homer’s myth, depicting Ulysses’ travels through Technopolis, a fictional, dystopian “Smart City”.
Via a series of staged scenes marking the major milestones of the Odyssey, this project addresses the issues inherent in the growth of digital technologies. The photographer’s trademark style has been heightened, not only using old-fashioned film but also adding low-tech special effects, as our
anti-hero explores various aspects of our connected lives, such as the surveillance economy, the normalisation of drones, virtual sexuality, and even predictive policing. The tale, which can be interpreted on several levels, features mythological iconography, sci-fi film references, and countless fragments of text. The writing combines storytelling, statistical data, philosophical quotes, and hand-written notes, reframing the series of photographs, for instance by highlighting the warnings of older generations against the fantastical promises of contemporary futurologists. This series features multiple forms of expression and time periods, encouraging critical thinking about the growing role of technology in social control. Though Ulysses’ journey through the machine world is first and foremost a tale of humanity’s perilous relationship with the digital
world, it ends on a hopeful note, as Ulysses resolves to flee Technopolis and return “home”, to Ithaca. As if to remind us that - faced with our increasingly computerised world - alea iacta non est: it’s not too late to turn back.
Book Odyssée 2.0
Making of for local TV channel