My 7th grade classes are reading Science Fiction stories these days. We watched a couple Twilight Zone episodes along the way, too. Once they figured out that I wasn’t talking about the Twilight Book Series, they seemed intrigued by the TZ episodes, if not a bit freaked out by the plots.

And some of my 7th graders had been to new art museum at MSU — the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, to be specific — and they made the connection to a video in the basement. Marco Brambilla’s Evolution (Megaplex) piece is a 3D explosion of video, history, and commentary that really needs to be experienced to be (almost) understood. The video has so many iconic images presented in a hog-podge/collage that I thought I was in a dream-state several times. I cannot create a link to it for you, though.

On the other hand, a recent video by Cyriak comes close. NPR called it Watch The 1950s Get Its Mind Blown, which is an oddly, apt title. The music is by Bonobo and the video is also on their site. The video is called “Cirrus” (follow the link or watch it, below…but if it isn’t loading, refresh this page).

The first drumstick beat is at the 17th second…and that’s when everything changes. It becomes the 1950s meets MTV meets the U. S. of Dystopia. A look into the way our modern technologies have taken our souls and transformed us into little robots. We think we have lives and choice, but we are in predictable boxes following a motorized, electrical carrot we can’t even see. When I show my students this video this week, I’m pretty sure they’ll see bits of the Twilight Zone and the video from the art museum. They’ll feel the creepy, Science Fiction mood…but will they see themselves at all? Will they see/hear/consider the message and warning, even though they are not all descendants of that white, 1950s snapshot?

After that video, they may need a Pep Talk from Kid President. I know I will.