The irrational and uncanny

Surreal photo of a person wearing glasses and a hat with their face distorted, leaning towards a camera in a hallway.
PAINTING AND SCULPTURE

This sculptor finds deep weirdness – not divinity – in the human form

Directed by Ben Berman

Photo of a man in white with a medallion standing in front of a building labelled “UFOland,” looking upwards confidently.
SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION

UFO belief is a modern outlet for ancient spiritual yearnings

Even when it’s not explicitly religious, belief in alien visitors resembles our oldest ways of making sense of the world

by Francesco Dimitri

Photo of a man in a suit and bowler hat holding a microphone performing on stage with spotlights in the background.
LAUGHTER AND COMEDY

Absurdist comedy is uniquely brilliant at conveying human pain

On stage as Mr Fruit Salad, I’ve seen how the bizarre and ridiculous can convey deep meaning in a way that resonates

by Joz Norris

Silhouette of a person climbing a steep, diagonal staircase against a gradient sky in grayscale.
DANCE

A darkly playful dance of shadows, surreal visions and transformation

Directed by Douglas Bernardt

A dark room with a table, chair, bookshelves, and numerous faint, ghostly figures sketched on furniture, walls, and floor.
THE NATURE OF REALITY

An animated figure’s world grows enigmatic when he begins to doubt reality

Directed by Jeong Dahee

Photo of a man in a suit sitting in a dimly lit room with a shattered blue screen on a wooden wall behind him.
THE NATURE OF REALITY

For neuroscience, magic opens a doorway to multiple realities

The transition in magic from possible to impossible can answer some of the key questions in philosophy and neuroscience

by Luis M Martínez & Jordi Camí

A moody cityscape with dark buildings and bright yellow-lit rooms, featuring silhouetted figures inside.
ALTERED STATES

An odyssey into the Parisian night reflects the allure and anxieties of cities

Directed by Adrien Mérigeau

Cartoon aliens walking in a colourful city street with shops and a bright starburst in the background.
ALTERED STATES

What’s it like to meet aliens? A wild collage of surreal encounters

A film by Paul Vester

Photo of a suburban street with overlapping images, showing houses, lawns and a faint figure in the foreground.
ALTERED STATES

Déjà vu is just one of many uncanny kinds of déjà experiences

What can the many types of déjà experiences that most people have tell us about reality, memory and the gaps in between?

by Art Funkhouser

Animation of a girl in a red cap sitting in a tree, with a fox below and vibrant plants and mushrooms surrounding them.
HAPPINESS

Martha’s adventures through the washing machine looking-glass

Directed by Hannah Jacobs

Photo of a computer screen showing a deepfake video comparison with original content on a cluttered desk.
TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA

Why we should rethink our moral intuitions about deepfakes

Deepfakes unsettle established categories of deception and authenticity, but that doesn’t necessarily make them unethical

by Adrienne de Ruiter

Painting of two musicians standing by bare trees in a snowy landscape with two distant figures and a city skyline in the background.
MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION

Everyone is waiting, watching. What for remains captivatingly unclear

Directed by Michelle Kranot & Uri Kranot