Royal Hastings, University of London Multimedia Art MA Final Project

Candidate name: Jonathan Danners

Candidate number: 0883482

There’s one problem with the active deterrent system: the other side has a Dead Hand too.

Thanks to my mother and her generation of scientists and engineers at RD 8, those missiles planted beneath the sea, trained on the enemy, now belong to a different era.

Instead they developed technology that ‘drops’ a silent, invisible ‘bomb’. It charges the atmosphere with positive ions to devastate towns, cities, countries – whole continents – on a molecular level. You’ll never know the attack has happened until, perhaps, everyone around you is dying from cancer or lung disease or suicide. Until you see the polluted rivers, decaying plant life, a dying ecosystem.

These weapons are deployed secretly to weaken a region, nation or continent. A silent invasion. When the area is devastated enough, ground forces go in and neutralise any existing defence systems. You destroy them, without them destroying you. Kiss … goodbye.

When Mum went back to work after I was born, she was exposed to the atmospheric tech at the very start of its evolution, before anyone realised how dangerous it was. As a result, my sister was born with complex disabilities that meant she didn’t die, but didn’t live, either. If it weren’t for RD 8, my mother would be alive today and my sister a perfectly healthy, happy twenty-seven-year-old. You might think the company would take responsibility, but at that level accountability doesn’t apply. And you can’t sue a department that doesn’t officially exist.

AetherGen is committed to disrupting big business that invests in climate destruction. Ludya and Suzie are both passionate activists. Ludya for her kids, and Suzie because despite being rescued from the rubbish tip where she was born, she will always kick against authority, fighting to survive, like the abandoned child she still is inside. But for me it’s always been personal. Whatever happens after tonight, I want it to be known – this was all for Mum and Sophia.

Metropolitan Police digital evidence log/Case no. 4617655/24/ files retrieved 5 September 2024

AetherGen WhatsApp group members Jonathan Danners, Suzie Danners and Ludya Parak, 30 May 2024:

Jonathan

When the promo film ends, we go into the room and calmly wheel the head away.

Ludya

The event will still be going on. The kitchen is getting ready to serve more canapés.

Suzie

If anyone asks, give them a line. Say we need to protect it from damage and packing it up takes ages. They can explore the tunnel all they like.

Jonathan

Hold your positions while the presentation takes place. I’ll be by the entrance doors.

Jonathan

OK, something’s come up. Patrick just came over and said Jem’s invited the external examiner. He’s here, right now.

Suzie

RD 8 didn’t want our driver inside the grounds, so how did the external examiner get through?

Ludya

He’ll simply want to see the installation before we dismantle it. Not an issue, right?

Jonathan

It’s an issue. Jem invited the external examiner, but the guy who just walked in is Ben Sketcher.

Ludya

What the FUCK?

Suzie

Shit! We need to go.

Ludya

How the fuck does he know we’re here?

Jonathan

Patrick gave him Cameron’s finger, so he could gain access to the staff entrance. I’m pulling us out. Get your things and walk calmly to the car park. Meet at the people-carrier.

Ludya

But the head? The phone?

Jonathan

Leave them. That’s an order.

WhatsApp chat between Jem Badhuri and Ben Sketcher, 30 May 2024:

Ben

Where are you?

Jem

In the event room, so I have to whisper and keep the volume low on my earphones.

Ben

What are you doing in there?

Jem

They put the old radio inside my head sculpture to weigh it down. They want to destroy both as soon as the event’s over, only I want to take them home. If I get the radio out, I might be able to wheel the head to my dad’s car.

Ben

Leave it where it is. There’s a chance it’s very old, very valuable technology that everyone thought was lost for ever.

Jem

Really? When I amended the circuit board, I didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary.

Ben

You amended the circuit board?

Jem

I was working on Assignment One. Cameron was in the studio early and asked if I needed help. I never react well to that, so I said, ‘If you insist, you can help with my soundscape.’

Ben

Your Ocean Charity soundscape was audio clips of ocean noises. I’ve got the Tutor’s Report here.

Jem

I’d finished that already. Didn’t need his help, just wanted him to regret asking! I said, ‘Imagine you’re a tiny sea creature trapped in a plastic bag or discarded bottle. What would you say to humankind?’ I pressed Record and, to be fair, Cameron threw himself into it.

Ben

Oh my God, Jem.

Jem

He loved the sound of his own voice and said all sorts of funny things about being trapped in the darkness. I didn’t stop him, just to see how long he could go on for. It was hilarious! The even funnier thing was that I had no intention of using the recording – until we found that old radio.

Ben

Are you telling me the voice everyone heard over the radio was Cameron’s and you put it there? But how?

Jem

I distorted it so that no one – not even Cameron himself – would recognise it, then randomised the playback, set it to start at 5 p.m. and finally hid the new chip in the circuit board.

Ben

Patrick assured everyone you *didn’t* do that.

Jem

He’s nice, but he’s a people-pleaser and I didn’t trust him to keep it secret. I’d work on it in the mornings before he arrived.

Ben

Of course. Griff mentions that to Gela.

Jem

I wanted the others to think it was someone stranded on a mountain or at sea. If they escalated their concerns to RD 8 or the police, it would be so much funnier!

Ben

Why cause that disruption?

Jem

I tried to explain it to Gela, but she didn’t understand. No one did. When you’re in a room with people who are older and more confident than you … I couldn’t get my voice heard. Cameron didn’t have that problem, so I used his voice instead. It worked – they all listened.

Ben

But you never thought to tell them the truth, even then?

Jem

They said the radio went back to RD 8, so no. Now Cameron’s dead, I’m *really* sorry, but it’s all we’ve got left of him. I want to save the clay head and the radio from the incinerator. Putting my phone away now.

Ben

Jem, this is important. Do not look inside the clay head. The radio wasn’t all they put inside it. Stay where you are.

WhatsApp chat between Mae Blackwell and Gela Nathaniel, 30 May 2024:

Mae

Jem has wandered into the room and is talking into her phone at the back. I wonder if she’s lost? Our CEO is addressing the guests and we’re about to play the ICES promo film. It’s such an important moment for us. I wonder if you could pop in and lead her out?

Gela

I just tried to stand up and can’t.

Mae

She’s reached the clay head. I wonder if she’s checking it? Oh well, the lights have gone down and the film is starting now.

Gela

She’s blind, Mae. The dark won’t stop her. Please, get her away from the head.

Gela

She wants to rescue the old radio, but there’s something else in there.

WhatsApp chat between Ben Sketcher and Jem Badhuri, 30 May 2024:

Ben

You may remember Cameron had a phone that emitted an alarm if it detected a face other than his. The warning onscreen claimed the police would be dialled automatically, but that wasn’t strictly true. It dialled his office. When they received a text from Cameron telling them everything was OK, they were convinced he was safe.

Ben

The Danners thought they’d found RD 8’s atmospheric defence technology at Thorney Coffin, but they were wrong. A simple change in direction from right to left. A mistake made by their mole was all it took. Ludya’s codes worked like a skeleton key and could open any door in that place – I know the company will be grateful to have that weakness exposed. RD 8 had planted a decoy for them to find, but Suzie went to the wrong room and, acting on impulse, stole what was there. Not the decoy, something else.

Ben

Mae told Cameron to get it back at all costs. There’s only one item at Thorney Coffin that warrants that level of order.

Ben

While the Dead Hand is invisible technology buried deep inside military systems, the radio phase looks, to the untrained eye, exactly like an old wireless. It’s kept in carefully controlled conditions, deep in the countryside, covered in stealth technology and surrounded by an invisible ring of steel. The company contracted to maintain this system will protect such sensitive technology to the death.

Ben

The moment the Radio Phase is removed from its magnetic plinth, its power is cut. Only, Patrick wired it right back into active mode.

Ben

When you added a new chip, you disconnected the original circuit and neutralised it completely. Is it an exaggeration to say you saved the world, Jem, with your instinct to disrupt?

Ben

You certainly threw my sleeper unit into a tailspin. They thought the voice speaking to them over the airwaves was the man they’d seen killed, whose body they still had and whose phone security system made them think they couldn’t get rid of it … or, at least, his head.

Ben

They encased it in epoxy resin to keep his phone working. But still that was only temporary. The industrial incinerator at RD 8 gave them a way out. The fact Suzie Danners showed up here, floating around the installation like a ghost, means they were confident of escaping before anyone asked questions … until my arrival panicked them.

Ben

They must be gutted to leave the unit behind. I know it still has value – not as a Spiritfinder, but to RD 8. How much will they pay to get it back?

Ben

Jem, do not open the clay head or remove anything from it. Let me take everything. I’ll make sure there’s no evidence of what AetherGen did. Ironically, that unit will ensure our organisation has funds to continue our fight against the destruction of this planet. DO NOT stand in my way.

WhatsApp chat between Gela Nathaniel and Mae Blackwell, 30 May 2024:

Gela

What was that?

Gela

It sounded like a lot of people screaming.

Gela

Is that laughter? It can’t be laughter. Are they applauding?

Mae

Gela, I don’t recall that being part of the installation. The lights went up after our film and there was Jem, standing in the middle of the room, holding a big glass cube. Inside it was a HORRIBLE model of a preserved head. Like something Damien Hurst might win the Turner Prize for.

Gela

It’s resin. Not glass.

Mae

The mobile phone strapped to the outside, as if the head is looking at it. I’m sure there’s a deep message there about our dependence on technology, but as pioneers of cloud computing it’s not the image we want to promote.

Gela

Where is she now?

Mae

Your examiner led her away. The face in that cube looked familiar. Did they model it on Cameron?

Gela

They’ve all gone. Jonathan, Suzie and Ludya. I watched them leave as soon as they saw him arrive. But, Mae, why did everyone laugh?

Mae

Our CEO finished his speech on the line ‘Wherever cloud computing goes, RD 8 will be ahead.’ The lights came up and there was Jem. Now the shock is over, I can see how emotive art can be. It’s created quite a buzz out here! Seeing as that glass cube made such an impression, is there any chance we could keep it? There might be a display place for it somewhere.

Gela

I need to find her. I need to find Jem.

Mae

She and the examiner wheeled the clay sculpture out. I think your group is intending to incinerate it.

WhatsApp chat between Gela Nathaniel and Jem Badhuri, 30 May 2024:

Jem

Sorry, Gela, couldn’t answer your call. I’m outside the incinerator building. It’s deafening. I hate not hearing properly.

Gela

Are you OK?

Jem

The examiner confirmed I’ve got a Distinction, but he’s taken everything and left me out here!

Gela

Jem, stay right where you are.

Jem

He says he’s going to destroy the sculpture and the block of resin the others put inside it. He wants to sell the radio. Can you have a word with him?

Gela

I’m trying to reach you. Where is the incinerator building?

Jem

Go through the kitchen door. It’s not far. My dad just texted that he’s at the gate. Perhaps I could cover my ears and try to find him.

Gela

Stay there and let the examiner do what he came here to do.

Gela

Jem? Are you OK?

To: Gela Nathaniel

From: Patrick Bright

Date: 30 May 2024

Subject: Conclusion

Dear Gela,

My long essay lacks a conclusion, so here it is.

Conclusion:

This has happened twice now and that’s enough. I’m going home. What happened with Cameron was an accident, an honest mistake. But what happened with Finn wasn’t. As we stood on that deck watching the line of police cars on the shore, I thought my only chance was to create a diversion. They didn’t see me grab Finny by his leg and haul him over the side. His struggle to get a hold of something – anything – they saw as his desperate bid to scramble over the rail. I never told anyone. Ended up believing what I told the police. It became another reason not to go home.

The examiner is looking for Jonathan, Suzie and Ludya. They’ve been hiding something he wants – he told me. The old radio. He’s read our essays and coursework and wants the Spiritfinder himself. Did he really say, ‘Anyone who stands in my way can go where the head is going’? I’m in here with him now, but he can’t see me and, if I’m careful, he never will. If I’m not careful, well, what does it matter anyway?

He’s fired it up and it’s so loud I can’t hear myself think. One way or the other, this will be the third time.

WhatsApp chat between Gela Nathaniel and Jem Badhuri, 30 May 2024:

Jem

Pat’s here! He says he’ll stop the examiner. He’s gone into the building. I’m trying to find the gate now, but it’s all gravel.

Jem

The roar of that incinerator is deafening!

Jem

I’m completely disorientated.

Jem

I need help. Gela, could you help me, please?

Gela

I can see you. I’m nearly there.

Doodle message group MMAM ( FTP ), 31 May 2024:

Jem Badhuri

I woke up this morning and it hit me … the MA course is over. It all went so quickly. I feel a mixture of sadness and relief – but excitement too, because now I can start my career with an MA Distinction. Jem Badhuri, sculptor and soundscape artist.

Hannah O’Donnell

No one is accessing Doodle any more. Just a heads-up, Jem. The whole MMAM ( FTP ) Doodle room will be deleted in eight hours. If you need to save anything, or ask any of the others for personal contact details, etc., do it now.

Jem Badhuri

Thanks, Hannah. I don’t need to save anything and I certainly don’t want to contact any of the others again after last night. I’ve already moved on. Thank you.

Message group: 2024 Examiners, 31 May 2024

Philippa F. Moreton, BA , MA , PhD

I want to download the MA Multimedia Art documents, but it says ‘retrieval complete’. Can anyone help?

Tilda Ricci

Hello, Philippa. Who are you?

Philippa F. Moreton, BA , MA , PhD

I’m your external examiner, based at Central. I understand this is a new course and, as I don’t have a background specifically in multimedia art, I’d like to get started.

Karen Carpenter

Examination procedure for that course is almost complete. We’re expecting Ben Sketcher’s feedback at any moment.

Tilda Ricci

That’s why you can’t access the files. He’s already downloaded them all.

Philippa F. Moreton, BA , MA , PhD

I’ve double-checked and I am definitely your external examiner. No one here has heard of a Ben Sketcher. Who’s in charge of admin? Please unlock the system and allow me access to the documents. Thank you.

Tilda Ricci

Karen and I discussed this course with Ben all day yesterday.

Karen Carpenter

He had a lot of queries. He also asked Hannah O’Donnell for information about the students.

Tilda Ricci

He was concerned for the safety of one in particular, and last night went so far as to attend an event, to check she was there.

Philippa F. Moreton, BA , MA , PhD

My goodness. And was she?

Tilda Ricci

Yes, apparently. I assumed that was why Ben stopped messaging so abruptly. Karen, have you heard from him?

Karen Carpenter

No. And he’s not listed as a participant in this group any more.

Philippa F. Moreton, BA , MA , PhD

Can you unlock the system for me? Thank you, Karen.

Karen Carpenter

Tilda, can you ask Gela what happened?

WhatsApp chat between Tilda Ricci and Gela Nathaniel, 31 May 2024:

Tilda

How did it go last night? I understand Ben Sketcher attended, but now there’s a Philippa Moreton claiming she’s the examiner.

Tilda

The last we heard was when Patrick gave Ben a severed finger suspended in transparent resin. He then accessed the RD 8 building using the fingerprint … Karen and I are wondering if your MA group has been playing a practical joke on us all along.

Gela

I wish that was the case. Three of the MA group are members of AetherGen, a climate-change organisation. RD 8 has defence technology that would have a devastating impact on humanity and the environment, if it were ever deployed. The three of them planned to gather evidence of the tech and expose it. Only things didn’t go to plan.

Tilda

They failed?

Gela

Yes. The company was following them all along.

Tilda

Thank goodness! We can’t have a scandal like that, Gela. But who is Ben Sketcher if he’s not our examiner?

Gela

The three members of AetherGen gained possession of a different piece of technology and then went AWOL with it. I believe Ben Sketcher is the new leader of their organisation, but used his skills as a hacker to pose as the external examiner and track them down. Even he didn’t realise there would be such a shocking climax to the company’s event.

Tilda

A shocking climax? What happened?

Gela

The activists created a grotesque model of a severed head encased in a resin block, staring at a mobile phone strapped to it. All designed to shock the RD 8 people and their corporate guests – a protest about human dependence on technology. Clearly someone is a fan of Damien Hirst and Gunther von Hagens.

Tilda

How did RD 8 respond? Could this affect their relationship with our engineering faculty?

Gela

The plan backfired. The audience saw it as a valid artistic statement and applauded. RD 8 were speechless at first, but it caused such a chatter around their very dull new communications technology that they had to admit the installation did its job. I’ve just uploaded my Tutor’s Report. As the real external examiner is on board now, there’s nothing to concern you.

Tilda

What a relief. In that case I’ll tell Karen to send all the documents to Philippa at once. And, Gela, I’ve had some good news: the MMAM course has been approved! You can start admissions and select the next intake of students. Send Hannah your blurb for the prospectus asap.

Gela

That’s great news.

Tilda

Are you sure everything’s OK?

Gela

Everything is absolutely fine. Thank you, Tilda.