The Mulch Spider’s Dream

Directed by Karel Doing

In 1974 Thomas Nagel published his famous essay "What is it like to be a bat?" arguing that there is a specific mental state to each organism. Besides his critique toward the materialist theory of mind, the paper also explores the differences between human consciousness and the awareness of bats. According to Nagel subjectivity can not be shared. However, cinema might be a tool to do exactly that; sharing a lived experience of another creature. This film attempts to kindle the vision of a spider by using experimental phytochemistry.