The sound of sirens fills the screen in Aura Satz's new film, Preemptive Listening, an experimental documentary that examines the warning devices as cultural and political symbols. The London-based artist's work, which opens with a drone shot of a massive siren in a residential neighborhood, is more suited to a gallery than a cinema, where viewers could engage with its striking images and experimental soundtrack at their own pace. As a feature-length film, it becomes an endurance test, demanding constant attention amidst a cacophony of sonic ideas.
Exploring Sirens as Warnings and Symbols
The film's opening sequence features a shrill, electronic track by composer Laurie Spiegel, evoking the nagging whine of a mosquito. British-Egyptian actor Khalid Abdalla reflects on the role of sirens during the 2011 Arab Spring protests. In Palestine, loudspeakers in mosque minarets sound a siren annually on Nakba Day, one second for each year since the displacement of Palestinians after Israel's creation.
Diverse Voices and Perspectives
An activist in the United States explains that for her, as a Black woman, the flashing blue light of an emergency vehicle signals danger rather than safety. At Fukushima, clocks remain frozen at the time of the 2011 nuclear disaster. A Maori activist discusses reframing humanity's relationship with nature, suggesting that sirens clang loudly for impending environmental catastrophe, often unheeded.
These fascinating insights are strung together without a coherent narrative thread, leaving the film feeling disjointed. Preemptive Listening is available on True Story from 8 May.
