The Sprawl: Propaganda about Propaganda
Netherlands / 2015 / 70'
Plot
Audiovisual essay exploring the transformation of information and propaganda in the digital age. Positioned between documentary, visual arts, and critical theory, the film examines how propaganda functions as a decentralized and viral flow that infiltrates digital spaces, spreading through memes, videos, algorithms, and shared emotions. The work reveals how the internet has become a disruptive geopolitical weapon. Drawing on the origins of the conflict in Ukraine, archival footage, digital animations, internet interfaces, and abstract landscapes create a hypnotic atmosphere that mirrors the experience of navigating the web, inviting viewers to engage with the confusion and ambiguity inherent to the digital environment.
Full Cast and Crew
Director:
Metahaven
Guion:
Metahaven
Producer:
Maria Bota
Sian Habell-Aili
Production:
Lighthouse
The Space
Cinematography:
Remko Schnorr
Music:
Kuedo
Other:
Georgina David
Gwen Pol
Annabel Reid
Póster Oficial
Screenings
| 27/11/2025 | 19:00h | MUSEO REINA SOFÍA |
Director
Metahaven
Metahaven are an Amsterdam-based artist collective whose work comprises filmmaking, design, and writing. Metahaven’s film works include The Feeling Sonnets (Transitional Object) (2024), Chaos Theory (2021), Hometown (2018), Information Skies (2016, nominated for the European Film Awards), and The Sprawl (Propaganda About Propaganda) (2015). As designers, Metahaven have worked or are working with Balenciaga; Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture, Almaty; Tensta konsthall, Stockholm; Valiz, Amsterdam; Sternberg Press, London, and many others. They have done activist design for Independent Diplomat (2014) and WikiLeaks (2010) and have worked on speculative design for Sea Shepherd (2016). Metahaven have presented solo exhibitions at MoMA PS1, New York; Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; ICA London; Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco; Asakusa, Tokyo; Izolyatsia, Kyiv; e-flux, New York, and State of Concept Athens, among others. They have participated in group exhibitions at Artists Space, New York; the Gwangju Biennale; the Sharjah Biennial; Ghost:2561, Bangkok, and many others. Their films have been screened at IFFR, Docs Against Gravity, CPH:DOX, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, among others. Their work is in several international museum and private collections, including the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Sharjah Art Foundation, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the V&A, and the National Gallery of Victoria. Metahaven are artistic advisors at Rijksakademie, affiliate researchers at Antikythera, and heads of department at the Geo-Design MA at DAE.
Festivals and Awards
Rotterdam International Film Festival 2016
