DISCUSSION: GOVERNMENT, DISINFORMATION, PSYOPS AND ALIENS

The narratives around extraterrestrials, from kooky counterculture to legitimate government narrative, arrive at a time when conversations surrounding what’s real or not are at an all-time high. UFO-speak can be used to manipulate or psyop individuals; it can also be weaponised to shape public opinion through government disinformation and military cover-ups. What can today’s UFOria tell us about our collective fears as we accelerate towards an era of economic, social and technological uncertainty? These subjects will be explored by Strange Attractor’s Mark Pilkington, artist-turned-mass surveillance investigator Trevor Paglen. Writer-researcher Günseli Yalcinkaya moderates.