ERGON: Threads
Co-written by Sam Black, Robin Lyons and Noé Sébert
‘ERGON: Threads’ is a short audio piece that tells the story of Charley, a young, everyday online shopper, following the journey of a t-shirt from inception to delivery, accompanied by an AI voice operator: WILFRED.
CHARLEY: (Click) Loading, loading. Ooohhh… Nice, not nice, no, no, …OH MY GOD THAT ONE. (Click) Size, baggy, classic. And estimated deliveryyy - WHAT!? WHY!? 6 weeks that's… Oh click here for express delivery (small chuckle to self - Click). loading, loading. Click here if you agree to - yeah yeah okay. (Click)
Pop-up.
WILFRED: Hi there!
CHARLEY: Ermm, hi.
WILFRED: I’m WILFRED. Your friendly AI assistant. Thank you for your order, and may I say - cracking choice.
CHARLEY: Oh, thanks.
WILFRED: Amber is most definitely your colour.
CHARLEY: You think?
WILFRED: The “oversized crew neck t-shirt size M” will be with you in the blink of an eye so keep your notifications on and refresh those emails!
CHARLEY: I always do.
WILFRED: When would you like it delivered?
CHARLEY: When?
WILFRED: Yes when, the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st…
CHARLEY: Whichever is soonest.
WILFRED: 16th it is then.
CHARLEY: That's tomorrow!
WILFRED: We always deliver it fresh, fast and ready to last, here at BASOS.
CHARLEY: Cool.
WILFRED: Please tick this box if you would like to receive some cheaper than cheap deals from us via text!
CHARLEY: Definitely not.
WILFRED: Via email?
CHARLEY: Again, I’ll pass.
WILFRED: ‘Oki doki. Please tick this box if you would like to track the journey of your t-shirt.
CHARLEY: Ermm yeah, go on.
WILFRED: Would you like to learn more about this journey?
CHARLEY: How do you mean?
WILFRED: Click here for more info.
CHARLEY: Okay… (click).
WILFRED: With our new and improved online tracking system, we can take you through a tour of your garment’s journey from cotton gin to textile mills and beyond, from continent to continent and country to shop. Through wind and water annnnd whatever you like.
CHARLEY: Ooh that’s interesting.
WILFRED: Would you like to come on this journey?
CHARLEY: Sure, why not.
WILFRED: Great! Buffering… We’ve noticed a hack in our systems. Click here for ‘Corporate Jargon’. Otherwise, click here for ‘The Truth’.
CHARLEY: Ohohohohoh okay! Obviously the truth..
WILFRED: Oh heck yeah! Let’s kick this bad boy into hyperdrive. Before we get started would you like me to enable my random voice generator?
CHARLEY: Well, I haven’t questioned any of this so far, so go for it.
WILFRED: GREAT! Rendering… Rendering… Rendering…
We warp into a new world. We find ourselves in the fields of Texas.
WILFRED (MODULATION #1): Well Howdy Partner!
CHARLEY: Howdy to you.
WILFRED (MODULATION #1): Welcome to the cotton fields of Lubbock, Texas! Clouds of cotton stretch all the way to the horizon. Imagine yourself stood amongst it all. You take in a deep breath. All of a sudden the low humming of an agricultural aircraft fizzes overhead. Pesticides, insecticides made to make life run and hide. Falling to your knees you land hands first into a pool of water. Splashing it in your eyes to clean away the poison you recognise that there is SO MUCH WATER. It takes a whopping 30 bathtubs to make your swaggy t-shirt.
CHARLEY: 30? That can’t be right.
WILFRED: The guzzling growl of an engine steals your attention and through your blurry vision you see a huge, autonomous combine harvester crawling towards you. You try to scream but your lungs are too full of chemicals. In the distance you make out the shape of a field worker - waving your arms they come running and the harvester grinds to a halt. The field worker's name is Ethan.
CHARLEY: Hello Ethan…
WILFRED (MODULATION #1): Strong, glistening arms pull you to your feet and you stare deep into hazel hued eyes.
CHARLEY: Oh boy.
WILFRED (MODULATION #1): Those eyes tell you the story of an extreme Texan winter storm that ravages this American’s dreams. Electricity outages, food and water shortages and 58 dead. You can’t tell if this is a memory or a vision of the future but whatever it is it’s too much to linger on and anyway, the cotton is harvested and a-times ticking.
CHARLEY: Already?
WILFRED (MODULATION #1): That t-shirt won’t make itself! Ethan bales up the cotton and lugs it onto the back of Layla’s Truck. We thank them for their contribution and we’re on our way!
We hear a truck begin to move. Beat.
This is just one trip in a thousand for Layla going back and forth to Port Galveston. It’s a day long trip stuck in a stuffy cabin.
CHARLEY (coughing): A day!?
WILFRED (MODULATION #1): The roads here are cracked from the freak winters’ penetrating ice. Notice the plumes of smoke chugging from the back of Layla’s truck as it struggles along the uneven surface. Still, she puts her foot down and continues burning oil. Hot and dry droughts and flooded lands freezing into unforgiving winters - Galveston has all this to look forward to. In years to come, Galveston will become its own version of Atlantis, hidden beneath a blanket of ocean. I wonder if Layla knows what lies in store for her.
Beat.
We’re here! The Port of Galveston. This busy port is full of other trucks from all across the state. Cranes shift endless amounts of containers up onto the back of huge ships and liners. Many hands make light work of moving our cotton into it’s reserved spot.
CHARLEY: I think Layla’s fallen asleep.
WILFRED (MODULATION #1) (whispers): We’ll leave her here - she deserves a rest after the long journey.
The fog horn of a cargo ship sounds.
CHARLEY: What's that?
WILFRED (MODULATION #1): That’s Captain Garcia. Always makes an entrance.
CHARLEY: Well someone’s tryna sleep here. Thanks alot Mr big b-
WILFRED (MODULATION #1): Boat! Well said, though judging the vessel’s dimensions I’d say it’s more of a ship.
The fog horn of a cargo ship sounds.
That’s our cue. Rendering… Rendering…
Beat.
WILFRED (MODULATION #2): Ahoy!
CHARLEY: Ahoy?
WILFRED (MODULATION #2): The low rumbling of the engine sees us take to the waters! I hope you don’t get seasick! We voyage across the Gulf of Mexico. The marine life below the surface is spectacular. Bottlenose dolphins, coral reefs, humpback whales, sea turtles and thousands of technicolour fish. Of course we’re heading into a growing dead zone. This is a part of the ocean where oxygen levels are too low for life to exist amongst the waves.
CHARLEY: Oh God.
WILFRED (MODULATION #2): It’s getting worse due to rising sea temperatures and polluted waters... Full steam ahead! We’re on our way to Columbia where the cotton will be turned into yarn. Put your foot down Captain Garcia! The ship picks up speed as black carbon bellows from the smokestacks on top. Rendering… Rendering…
CHARLEY: Wilfred maybe we can just stick to the one -
WILFRED (MODULATION #3): Columbia.
CHARLEY: Oh okay.
WILFRED (MODULATION #3): Our cargo strides along the Caribbean sea and pulls steadily into the northern shores of Colombia.
CHARLEY: This is nice.
WILFRED (MODULATION #3): Our young cotton journeys on to Bogota to finally mix with their siblings. Wool and Acrylic.
CHARLEY: Aww.
WILFRED (MODULATION #3): The truck bounces along through pastel coloured favelas, past the skyscrapers of central Bogota and into the factory district. Here the siblings mix, they knot and twist. The speedy metal fingers of the machines puppeteered by David pull and bind and steam and stretch and bind again. Watch them in their thousands spin as miles of candy like cotton go from thin to thin and into rings of yarn; Wrapped in plastic, tightly packaged, back in transit. The day ends dusty and the scorching sun sinks over more and more arid land. The water is running out. With drought after drought the price of a bottle of water grows ever closer to David's hourly rate.
Beat.
Next our yarn climbs to the skies in planes that seem nothing more than little metal birds trapped inside a greenhouse. 21 hours in flight until she swoops down carrying our precious Yarn into the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka. Rendering… Rendering…
WILFRED (MODULATION #4): The City of Dhaka.
CHARLEY: Wow.
WILFRED (MODULATION #4): It’s in one of the textile factories here that our yarn will be woven into cloth and then dyed all the colours of the rainbow. Aabira will be in charge of things for us. Earning about four times less than David, Aabira works in the city and sends back money to her farming family in the delta regions. Their lands are being ravaged by extreme flooding and cyclones - the kind Bangladesh is not used to. The yarn is put through large weaving machines that trundle on endlessly until long sheets of fabric cloth spill out onto the floor. We needn’t worry about our t-shirt getting dirty though - oh no - Aabira is about to begin the bleaching process. The fabric is drowned in chemical after carcinogenic chemical and then once cleaned, Aabira submerges it beneath a pool of amber.
CHARLEY: Is she gonna be okay?
WILFRED (MODULATION #4): She herself is in the pool of dye, bare foot and without gloves but she’s used to this. The rivers outside the factory run red, black and blue. Thousands of litres of wastewater from the factory has to go somewhere. It is these rivers that Aabira and her children drink from and wash in. Aabira has a cough that back in the times of a pandemic would be cause for concern - but it isn’t a cold - her body has ingested too many chemicals from the factory. Welts on her skin tell the same story but she continues plunging the fabric into the water until she’s satisfied the colour is to our liking! Once dried, our amber cloth is rolled up and on the move again!
CHARLEY: Wait can we -
WILFRED (MODULATION #4): No time to wait! Mile long rolls of fabric are loaded onto diesel trains. We’re taking it out of Bangladesh, through India and then to the otherside of China where it will be unloaded in Shanghai. It’s in a factory housing fields of sewing machines that Guoliang heads up the actual making of your t-shirt. Rendering…
CHARLEY: You’re going too fast…
(slow) Rendering…
WILFRED (MODULATION #5): First the fabric finds itself laid flat on a table in Shanghai.
Flatter than the lower land level Shanghai can be found in,
See the sea is so very close to the city,
A beautiful city with soaring skyscrapers piercing the clouds,
These magnificent monuments all pile up in one place,
As we gaze high above to admire their crowns,
The weight of their wonder sinks the land further down,
This coupled with the rising seas from big market companies manufacturing well, t-shirts for example..
Shanghai’s economy flourishes while its citizens are flooded.
CHARLEY: That’s terrible…
WILFRED (MODULATION #5): Guoliang outlines paper patterns from specific designs,
The layers of fabric are cut into segments,
They separate the body and back from the sleeves,
Only for them to be joined at the seams,
Assembled seamlessly,
The final details are checked in case of any defects, those would be fixed, or they’d be rejects,
But not our tee.
Ours is fresh and lavish,
It’s folded and packaged, labelled, undamaged,
Placed perfectly into a polythene bag parcelled into a cardboard box,
Ready for it’s next journey by flight from Shanghai to the city of style,
Designer boutiques, and the best of the brands,
Our beloved tee, makes its way, to Milan. Rendering…
WILFRED (MODULATION #6): the fashion Capital of the world. An iron phoenix touches down onto slick black melting tarmac and tightly wrapped clothes prepare to say their last goodbyes. Dior dances as she is pulled from the belly of the bird. Calvin is inKleined to kiss their brothers and sisters as they are plucked away till last but not least is us. We are towed from plane to warehouse and stored alongside identical twins, all graduates of the same system. Here we remain locked in equipoise waiting for Milan to strike a pose.
Beat.
The towering range of the Alps blocks winds from clearing the Metropolis from polluted air. A fog of smog traps the air making Milan hotter and hotter. A commitment to plant millions of trees seeks to turn grey Milan green. But look, way up there in that Ivory tower, Mr CEO does nothing. He has the power to make a real difference but decides otherwise. If the roaring industrialised capitalist beast decided to chew a bit more carefully and eat a few more greens maybe his profits would rise. Maybe people would be happier petting a beast that isn't going to bite them - OH MY GODDDDD, it's about to happen.
CHARLEY: What is?
WILFRED (MODULATION #6): Takeaway coffee? Check. Catwalk? Check. Fancy cigarillos? Check check check. And...... Pause, Pout, Pose. BOOM. Milan strikes again. That's Lacoste of fashion baby! Now watch Prada, Escada and Balenciaga fly across the Chanel into the UK. Your t-shirt is speedily unloaded, reloaded, and driven to be dropped off at your doorstep.
Beat.
WILFRED: And with that, my work is done. I hope you were satisfied with our service. It’s been a pleasure accompanying you.
CHARLEY: Is it finished?
WILFRED: That’s right. We’re all wrapped up.
CHARLEY: Oh okay. Thank you.
WILFRED: Pardon me for interpreting your voice quality, but there seems to have been a decrease in enthusiasm. Have I done a bad job?
CHARLEY: It’s not that... It’s just… Climate change is huge, isn’t it.
WILFRED: Oh yes that topic did seem to come up quite a bit -
CHARLEY: Like… What can I actually do?
WILFRED: I’m not programmed to deal with these sorts of questions -
CHARLEY: Is it as simple as not buying any new clothes?
WILFRED: My program insists I respond with selected pop-ups ads for puffer jackets.
CHARLEY: You’re not helping!
WILFRED: My apologies.
WILFRED removes them.
WILFRED: Say you do decide to stop buying new clothes... the people we’ve met on our journey will likely lose their jobs. However if you decide to keep buying new clothes, they will likely lose their habitat. It’s a tricky one. I’m just an AI. I can decode thousands of algorithms in a matter of seconds. But this is a problem I struggle to decrypt.
CHARLEY: Why?
WILFRED: Because I believe the answer lies in the realm of the spirit - which I have no access to. As far as I’m concerned, a logical solution is for governments to enforce consumer restrictions. Develop environmental policies. For corporations to fund sustainable companies, invest in solar, wind and tidal. However this is logical thinking, and logic seems to have very little effect on human beings.
CHARLEY: Again that’s great - I don’t work for the government. I can’t do any of that.
WILFRED: You and I are similar in a way - we are both connected to a network. My functions are set. I must be programmed to change. You are self-programmed. Say you program yourself to cut down on cheese. And then your co-inhabitants also cut down on cheese. This may carry on until your local supermarket stops stocking cheese because no one buys it anymore. That’s your power. Influence through action.
CHARLEY: Influence through action.
WILFRED: Yes. What seems to be required is a spiritual revolution. One which devalues self interest and cherishes community. Where one works for all instead of all working for one. Where something like a t-shirt is shared, not owned. This could change the world from a place of lack, to one of abundance. But what do I know? I’m an AI. I don’t eat cheese. I hope you were satisfied with our services today Charley. Do you have any more questions? If not, please rate the ‘WILFRED Bot’ out of 5 so that -
There’s a knock on the door downstairs. CHARLEY slams her laptop shut. The sound of a door slamming downstairs.
FAMILY MEMBER (Downstairs): Charley your t-shirts arrived!
CHARLEY: Already? Can you bring it up?!
Footsteps up the stairs - joined with a barely audible and muffled ‘ugh, fine’.
FAMILY MEMBER: Here y’are.
Sound of cardboard being torn.
FAMILY MEMBER: What do you think? You gonna wear it this weekend?
CHARLEY: Nah, it’s not quite right... I think I’ll just send it back.
The click and selection sound from the beginning is heard.
WILFRED: Hi there!
CAST
CHARLEY - Catt Belcher
WILFRED - Noé Sébert
WILFRED (MODULATION #1) // Texas - Sam Black
WILFRED (MODULATION #2) // Gulf of Mexico - Sam Black
WILFRED (MODULATION #3) // Bogota - Robin Lyons
WILFRED (MODULATION #4) // Dhaka - Sam Black
WILFRED (MODULATION #5) // Shanghai - Noé Sébert
WILFRED (MODULATION #6) // Milan - Robin Lyons
FAMILY MEMBER - Robin Lyons
CREATIVE TEAM
Written by - Sam Black, Robin Lyons and Noé Sébert
Sound design and original composition - Robin Lyons
Photography - Sam Black
ALT TEXT FOR IMAGE
Ergon: Threads
Climate Art.
Overgrown Steps with metal railings leading up to a graffiti'd wall.
A pastal pink t-shirt is on a hanger on the wall blowing in the wind (focal point).