[Jason Ahlquist]

Hello Hieroglyphicants! I just wanted to take the time to introduce myself as a new member. Why am I here? Well like everyone else here – it’s sort of because I have always been here. The questions, attitude and aspirations that are present in this project have been with me since I was a child and for some reason amplified rather than faded. So mostly I am here to work them out in the intellectual and imaginative gym this place represents.

But specifically, I discovered Hieroglyph through research for a documentary film I’m producing that starts with the controversy at the center of this year’s (2015) Hugo Awards and explores outward toward what that conflict means in the framework of American partisan politics and even farther out at what it says about how we see our future. I’m specifically interested whether the kerfuffle indicates a growing awareness of science fiction’s influence on the shaping of the world we live in today by people who are politically active. If that idea is true, then is there an effort to control the “voice” of science fiction? That sounds crazy as I re-read what I just wrote, but I know for a fact that this is how the “Puppy” movement gained traction. For that matter isn’t that what Hieroglyph is about? In any event, I’m here to explore the veracity and accuracy of that idea through my documentary.

I currently have on-camera interviews with a lot of great writers from world-con. Some of these are part of this project actually! Now I’m looking for on-camera interviews with:

– Policy-makers and corporate leadership who are making decisions and spending money on projects that were once thought to be only science fictional.

– Regular people who’s lives have been impacted by events / things that trace their origins to science fiction. Things like advanced robotic, prosthetic limbs, drone strike victims, love over cyberspace (an easy one to find), etc. In this category, I’m looking for stories that carry a real “pathos-punch”.

It would be a huge bonus if I can find those subjects in Seattle. I’ll be moving there from North Idaho in November.

I’m also interested in helping with the projects of others! I love collaboration. I may be a filmmaker in the above capacity, but my day job is graphic designer and illustrator. So let me know if you have a task you think I might be interested in.

Here are some “getting-to-know-me” links –

The documentary – https://www.facebook.com/abouttomorrowdocumentary

The Portfolio – https://www.jasonahlquist.com

The Business Face – https://ahlquistmedialab.com/

I publish this – https://www.marsdust.net/

 

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