My Name is Oil

On a platform in the middle of the sea, the industrial machinery of an oil rig attempts to send out a warning of an impending catastrophe.

In Igor Smola’s speculative eco-doc, the pumpjacks, pipes and coolers that extract oil from the earth seem to speak directly to the viewer, narrating their experiences of harvesting the fuel upon which humans have become so critically dependent. Drawing on the thoughts of philosopher Reza Negarestani, My Name is Oil presents the substance as a metaphysical entity with seemingly mystical qualities, channelling the spirits of the many plants and animals whose decay has facilitated the creation of this apparently miraculous material. Capable of seeing the future, the rig’s machinery attempts to alert its human operators to a looming disaster, but caught up in their business — and distracted by the camera — the workers whose lives hang in the balance seem unable to tune into their frequency.