An EDE course inspires an animators imagination to share alternative futures
We sat down with a remarkably inspirational man who channels his skills in communication and animation to create an uplifting, alternative world in the face of our converging crises. Discover the advertising agency he created in Spain that has worked on many projects for international NGOs. Learn how his experience on one of our EDE programmes in Majorca stirred him to create a film series envisioning a positive alternative future based on current ideas, movements and solutions.
It's easy to be filled with climate anxiety and apocalyptic worry when we hear about global climate change, ecological crises and human suffering. But meet the man and his agency fighting to bring alternative solutions and movements that are happening across the globe into mainstream media! Because creating a better future starts with us being able to imagine it!
"The EDE was crucial for me (and my team) to envision this alternative future, opening our minds to a whole new world of solutions and the “new paradigm” that is already changing the world."
Hi, can you introduce yourself and tell us what you do?
"My name is Martin Haas, and I’ve been working on animation and advertising since 1999. I began working for big corporations until I realised the main problem with my work was my clients. In 2009 I decided I would no longer be part of the brainwashing machine spending billions to sell people products they didn’t need, which destroyed our world, and co-founded Implicate.org, an advertising agency (based in Spain) that only works for projects that make the world a better place. Since then, I’ve worked on campaigns for Unicef, Greenpeace, Amnesty, Oxfam, UNHCR, Ecologistas en Acción, Médicos del Mundo and many other NGOs."
"At the EDE course, I realised what was needed, more than exposing the dark strings that manage our societies, was showing that while the “old world” was collapsing, a new one was being born. That despite being excluded from the mainstream media, there were countless alternatives and solutions to most of our collective problems and a growing decentralised worldwide movement working to turn them into reality. This made me change the focus of my work..."
What inspires your creativity?
"I believe creativity is a skill (pretty much like drawing) which we can develop by trying to make conscious the process of our thinking, by realising the automatic paths our brains choose when developing an idea, and by finding alternate previously invisible paths that lead to different results. So I guess it is the world within and developing self-observation skills."
Tell us about your experience with the EDE programme in Majorca.
What did you do? And how did it impact you?
"The EDE programme in Majorca was an absolute brain opener for me. I signed up because I’ve always been interested in ecovillages as experiments in what a different and better world could be like. I had visited Findhorn, Auroville, Huehuecoyotl and a few others, and had the dream of moving to an ecovillage or even creating a new one with some friends.
I was eager to learn permaculture and all kinds of skills related to a sustainable life, but I found it was much more than that. The 4D approach (ecological, social, economic and world view) gave me a frame to rethink my life and role in society, and I was shocked to see how many solutions and movements are working on a daily basis to create the foundations of a new era.
Before doing the EDE course, I was working on an animated documentary project. I had watched documentaries showing the “dark” side of our world for many years, such as Zeitgeist, The Corporation, Fahrenheit 911, The Century of the Self, Food Inc and the like, and wanted to create an animated one.
But at the EDE course, I realised what was needed, more than exposing the dark strings that manage our societies, was showing that while the “old world” was collapsing, a new one was being born. That despite being excluded from the mainstream media, there were countless alternatives and solutions to most of our collective problems and a growing decentralised worldwide movement working to turn them into reality. This made me change the focus of my work, the animated documentary project changed completely, and “The (im)possible future” project was born."
What is the series called, and what is it about? How did the EDE experience inspire your work?
"The series is called “The (im)possible future”. It is about the crisis of imagination we're going through (besides the ecological and social crisis): when we envision our future, apocalyptic images come to our minds, in line with what we see in most science fiction series and films. There are certainly many reasons to believe that is where we are going to end. But if we can’t imagine an alternative future, we are lost, for we can only create a future we can imagine. Our series wants to help create a glimpse of that missing alternative (and better) vision of our future based on current ideas, movements and solutions.
The EDE was crucial for me (and my team) to envision this alternative future, opening our minds to a whole new world of solutions and the “new paradigm” that is already changing the world."
We want to reach people who have never heard of permaculture and tell them everything is not lost unless we have already given up. That we are living in extraordinary times, and we can not only be the “saviours” of the old world but the “founders” of a better one. The revolution is on, and even if we have few chances of succeeding, it’s time to do the right thing (and it can even be fun!)"
How important do you feel the role of art/creativity is in the sustainability/eco-movement?
"I believe it is a moment when every person who feels the pain we are causing on our planet should try to question and re-orient their everyday lives, and artists are no exception. In other times it might be ok to have a successful artistic career making abstract art for museums, for example. But personally, I feel compelled to try to make my artwork connect with what activist movements and people working on solutions are doing. It’s time for art to connect with the movements creating a better future."
What's the aim of the film?
"While there are a lot of solutions to our main problems and a lot of movements creating a better future, they usually don’t appear in the mainstream media.
Our goal is to attract as many people as possible to the “new paradigm” by showing these movements and solutions in an entertaining way through animation.
We want to reach people who have never heard of permaculture and tell them everything is not lost unless we have already given up. That we are living in extraordinary times, and we can not only be the “saviours” of the old world but the “founders” of a better one. The revolution is on, and even if we have few chances of succeeding, it’s time to do the right thing (and it can even be fun!)"
What was it like meeting Daniel Wahl? Has he given you any insights and advice?
"The experiential EDE course in Mallorca was co-organised by Daniel Wahl, who brought not only a lot of knowledge but a very big heart, as we saw in many group activities, he organised. It resulted in a very touching experience for me, and from there on, we’ve been in contact. After the course, I contacted him because I wanted to create a kind of permaculture school, but then I realised the best I could do was something related to my communication skills and focused on The (im)possible Future project. Since then (about 12 years ago), he has given us advice on the project, helping us with our “editorial” line, suggesting themes and ideas, reviewing our scripts and connecting us with other movements.
At the EDE, I was also lucky to meet great people such as Jonathan Dawson, Albert Bates, Lisa Shaw and May East, among others..."
When will the animated series be released?
"I don’t know the release date for the series yet. We expect to finish it in March, and it will first be shown on the state's media in Argentina (tv and online), for it was financed by our Ministry of Culture. We still don’t know where it is going next…
Before receiving the financial support of the Ministry of Culture, we were working with more than 100 volunteers from many countries. We did six short films you can find at www.theimpossiblefuture.org ( www.elfuturoimposible.org in Spanish)."
Dear darkening ground
A poem by Rainer Maria Rilke, read by Vandana Shiva, collectively animated by @the.impossible.future and introduced by Daniel Wahl.
Connect with the Impossible Future Collective through their social media channels;
Website - https://theimpossiblefuture.org/dear-darkening-ground/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the.impossible.future/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/elfuturoimposible/
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