Jessica Sarah Rinland

Karl, a 70-year-old Austrian astronomer, is at a crossroads in life and work. After a conference in Greece, he decides not to return home and heads for a small island in hopes of finding a sky dark enough to reconnect with the stars.

With an elephant’s tusk as the protagonist, the film meditates on the endless tactility of conservation.

The Blind Labourer examines the similarities and contrasts within the whaling and lumber industry. It edits together archive footage of labourers in the forests, at sea and in factories, felling trees, cutting whales and developing their multiple products for society and scientific studies.