Elisabeth Brun

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Big tech Blues is a poetic film-essay reflecting on life in rural communities in the age of Tech Giants, explored from a personal perspective. The film revolves around the filmmaker´s abandoned childhood school in the small village of Strengelvåg, Northern Norway, which was bought up by Elon Musk´s SpaceX Starlink programme; an event which sparked reflections on what is at stake, as rapidly evolving digital technology infiltrates all aspects of human life.

The film intertwines personal narrative about SpaceX intrusion into the filmmaker´s hometown with existential reflections on attachment, freedom, nostalgia, and progress. It reflects on dilemmas regarding place, digital technology, and bodily experience. Central to this exploration is the experience of sound: the hum of digital technology, the laughter of children, and the sounds of weather and nature. The film asks, what is the sound of a vibrant place?

By fusing personal anecdotes with broader reflections, the film offers an insider’s view on the digital industry's subtle encroachment into rural areas in Northern Norway and beyond. It meditates on the complex relationships people have with their changing environments – highlighting the double bind of digital technology and the significance of embodied experience for memory and attachment.

Elisabeth Brun (b. 1977) is a visual artist, filmmaker, and media scholar whose work explores questions of form, mediation, knowledge, and the relationship between humans and the environment. Brun is particularly interested in how media technology influences perceptions of place, space, and time, often drawing from her North Norwegian origins. Brun holds a post-master's in Public Art from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, a PhD in Media Studies from the University of Oslo and has 14 years of experience as a documentary filmmaker and journalist with NRK. Her work has been showcased internationally at venues such as Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, Seattle Art Museum, Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, and Vienna Shorts. Brun is a founding member of the NODES Collective and co-founder of the Lofoten-based production collective Hai Ku AS with visual artist Eivind H. Natvig.