Filling Space : An interview with Julia Tourianski

By Jason Michel

Julia Tourianski is a film maker, a writer, a self-confessed anarchist and one of a loose group of young and, of course, tech-savvy rebels that Paul Rosenberg named “The Bitcoin Kids“.  They do not give two shits about your, my, nor any government’s, approval in order to reshape, what they see as the corrupt culture and society inherited from older generations with the new technological culture that they were born into. She kindly agreed to be interviewed.

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You have travelled the world making short films on subjects, such as Bitcoin, that you feel passionately about; what was the initial catalyst that drove you to create these films?

- A chain of people lead me to all of this. I don’t want to bloat their egos too much so they will remain unnamed. But it’s people who inspire me and it’s people who will continue to inspire me.

Why did you choose to use the medium of film to spread your ideas and information over to the public?

- I initially only wrote articles. I guess I wanted to give myself more work.

The everyday manipulation of image and language as a form of control of the cognitive map is well known, and our society’s obsession with the almighty “image” on the omnipotent litter of screens in our lives seems to be a distinctly modern form of existential angst. If it it ain’t filmed, it never existed.
On the other hand, information (both fact and fiction) is readily available at the touch of a button and there still is the element of passively consuming to the point where even the truth is ultimately throwaway.
As both an individualist anarchist and a film maker, how do you feel that you may be using technology to influence your audience? Is it a case of not giving them what they want, but, maybe, what they need?

- People propagate what they think is “right,” what they think people will like, or a combination of the two. Many people will claim to be spreading truth, which is apparent from the “truth movement” label. It’s difficult to sort through everyone’s voices, especially when each one has an attitude of correctness. We might be living in a world in which everything has lost all meaning, but then that leaves us with a blank canvas to paint. That’s all I’m doing, filling space. My work is a diary of my thoughts so I can look back and remember them. And if people enjoy it along the way, if it helps in some way, I am that much more glad to do it. Giving people what they need is a fallacy, and a totalitarian one, which I completely reject.

William S. Burroughs famously said, “A paranoid is someone who knows a little of what’s going on.”
How true do you feel this statement is in an ever increasing surveilled world, and where do you see the battle for the freedom of internet heading?

- I waver between a lot of hope, seeing all the new tech rise up on the front lines of privacy, but then I remember how much power Google and Apple and the governments have. And I agree with the quote. I’m thinking maybe “their” model has changed from a passive population to a paranoid population. Both types can be herded effectively.

As more and more people look outside the MSM for their information, do you see a cultural shift, if so what is it?

- I thought I did. But then I got to know some of the alt media outlets and they lie quite a bit too. Anything that gets big enough follows this trend. The real power comes from micro communities of information that spontaneously form online. Mailing lists, factions of social media, chat rooms, etc. Two way communication.

Bitcoin seems to be a potential way that people can financially liberate themselves from the wounded, and therefore dangerous, financial system.
As this form of exchange is becoming more accepted and people are starting to learn about it, what are some of the ways that the system is reacting to this threat against its hegemony?

- ” … wounded, and therefore dangerous, financial system.” I like that. Indeed. I think the market may have a say in this. The west’s economy, especially concerning gold reserves is fragile. Financial facts may speak much louder than activism or technical efforts soon enough. And if not, if another collapse doesn’t happen in the near future to influence btc adoption, it will simply take longer and be more gradual. If governments impose further regulation and bans, it will take even longer and be even more gradual. It won’t go away but the form it takes and how fast it takes it will depend on all these factors.

In what way, do you think, the Block Chain is having an impact on the work of creators, writers and artists?

- Micro transactions. Online tipping culture. Peer-to-peer financial empowerment. That’s what I see and hope for.

In an ever-changing world, adaptation is key.
How do you see your work evolving? Any major projects lurking on the horizon?

- Yes. Shhhh.

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Julia Tourianski‘s site is : BRAVE THE WORLD