Polycrisis

Polycrisis is a series of videos and short films that explores the overlapping and interacting crises of the surveillance state, climate change, war, and authoritarianism. Each video combines found footage with my own video and audio recordings, and written work.

Randolph Bird, excerpt from Indifference Engine, 2025. HD video, audio.

Randolph Bird, still from National Anthem, 2025. HD video, audio, 10 sec.

Randolph Bird, still from Polycrisis #3, 2026 (in production).

Screenshot of video art. Credit: Randolph Bird, Insecurity #1. HD video, color, 1 min. 50 sec.

Randolph Bird, still from Insecurity #1. HD video, audio, 1 min 50 sec.

Screenshot of video art. Credit: Randolph Bird, Insecurity #2. HD video, color, 2 min. 4 sec.

Randolph Bird, still from Insecurity #2. HD video, audio, 2 min 4 sec.

Terminals of Service

Each piece in Terminals of Service reimagines dense legal documents (e.g., terms of service, privacy policies) into visual poetry that highlights the absurd, contradictory, and potentially dangerous aspects of our relationship with technology. I select words and phrases from these documents to build a commentary on our ongoing abdication of rights to corporations and the technology they produce. By manually typing the selected text into a computer terminal emulator in one take, I insert a distinctly human element into a purposefully anti-human environment. Combining these visuals with the "hum" generated by one of thousands of large data centers around the world that power most web-based technology creates a new, performative wall of text that asks the viewer to engage with the consequences of accepting and agreeing to policies they haven't read or understood.

Randolph Bird, excerpt from Terminals of Service #3, 2025. HD video, audio.

Screenshot of video art. Credit: Randolph Bird, Terminals of Service #1, 2025. HD video, color, silent, 2 min.

Randolph Bird, still from Terminals of Service #1. HD video, audio, 2 min.

Screenshot of video art. Credit: Randolph Bird, Terminal 1: Enoncé. HD video, color, silent, 2 min. 12 sec.

Randolph Bird, still from Terminal: Enoncé. HD video, color, silent, 2 min 12 sec.