Science Non-Fiction, a recent series of films made throughout the 2010s, sits at the intersection of science and experimental documentary. In both my photography and video work I’ve explored forms of documentary production that tap into raw, unfettered human emotion and behavior, as the new millennium has ushered in a period of rapid discovery and advancement in the brain sciences. Our understanding of a range of processes has been enhanced, with new insights into early childhood development, emotional intelligence, addiction, depression, anger, decision-making, brain-machine interfaces, etc.— all now studied with a more precise understanding of what’s taking place in the brain.

As we have rapidly come to better understand how our brains and emotions operate, our vulnerabilities have increased. This is due in large part to the explosive growth of artificial intelligence as well as the astonishing changes in our habits of communication through the vast reach of the internet and the widespread adoption of smartphones and personal computers. Across the globe, in an interconnected world, we’re being manipulated and ultimately rewired, our agency diminished and our very perception of reality altered. We’ve entered the dark place that 20th century scientists, writers and theorists anticipated—and feared.

These changes have been subtle and gradual. They’re so interior, in ways that makes me wonder exactly how they can be quantified and better understood; and how can they be made visual within the context of cinematic expression? In this ongoing and loosely connected series of films, I’ve sought answers, particularly as to what evidence may be hiding in plain sight in our new media world of machine intelligence and human vulnerability.