Abstract

Josh Kline’s Adaptation envisions a narrative of survival through a submerged New York City depicted using scale models and 16 mm celluloid film. This article explores how the film, exhibited at Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art as part of a large-scale installation, effectively uses immersion as orientation and prelude. Framed as a ‘science fiction of the ordinary’ narration for ten reflective minutes, Adaptation offers a poetic, yet unsettling, meditation on environmental grief and social responsibility.

Date

2026

Authors

Mayank Kejriwal

Journal

Short Film Studies

Volume

16

Issue

1

Pages

55-61

Publisher

Intellect