In this episode, we are featuring a recorded lecture from the symposium Synthetic Vision/Images of Power with Anna Engelhardt and Mark Cinkevich. The symposium featured talks by scholars and artists on the various transformations induced by Artificial Intelligence within the interplay of power, knowledge and images. Engelhardt and Cinkevich discuss their work Terror Element, a hybrid documentary that examines the fallibility of truth through the lens of forensic science and investigative methods. The work was commissioned by Framer Framed with the support of the Netherlands Film Fund and Creative Industries Fund NL as part of the collaborative project Immerse/Interact.

Terror Element explores the complexities of forensic science and the concept of truth, examining the blurred lines between reality and fiction in the portrayal of events. Through a combination of CGI and archival footage, the documentary follows Nina, a forensic expert, as she confronts the unsettling truths behind a series of 1999 explosions in Russia. The film challenges the audience to question the reliability of forensic evidence and the narratives constructed around it, making it a thought-provoking exploration of power, truth, and the role of technology in contemporary society.

Terror Element is part of the exhibition Really? Art and Knowledge in Time of Crisis, which is open until 29 September 2024 at Framer Framed.