THIRTYFIFTH is a developing video essay, exploring the role of ostension in shaping conspiracy beliefs following the assassination of JFK

Ostension is a term used in the study of folklore, to indicate when continued reenactment of a legend or myth begins to impact on real-life happenings.

Such acts can involve mis-interpretation of events, or the acting out and hoaxing of legends. Increasingly examples of ostension are consumed by the general public through mass media outlets.

Following the assassination of JFK, shifts in popular culture have allowed for continued reassessment of such events. Developments in media technology has enabled the emergence of new voices, theories, and methods of communication.

Continued exposure to such views through movies, books, press articles, pop music, social media feed, and Internet memes, has invaded aspects of mainstream thought, challenged political views and cultural values, and helped to create a paranoid post-truth world.

THIRTYFIFTH will consider this idea in four parts, each examining a different model of ostension, and a different medium of reenactment. From halloween legends, to post-trauma mythologies, new journalism, political scandal, Hollywood movies, and public broadcasting.

The project will gradually emerge as a series of videos, each concerning an aspect of the JFK conspiracy legacy - a legacy that increasingly has less and less to do with JFK himself.