Cloud Cuckoo Land

Cloud Cuckoo Land* is a boundless imaginary realm between heaven and earth where a colourful company of animals live who love to brag about their powers and want to transcend the laws of society. These megalomanic animals and their pompous doggerels want to disintegrate free thought of our minds and make you wonder what the definition of freedom of thought will be in the twenty-first century.

*Cloud Cuckoo land is a borrowed translation of the ancient Greek word Nephelokokkygia, which comes from Aristophanes' comedy The Birds.

Order the book Cloud Cuckoo Land via Paracosm House -

Order the book Cloud Cuckoo Land via Paracosm House -

“Our chirps might be unclear, for your dumb ears to hear.”

“I will be quick, you little prick, I want to know what makes you tick!”

‘Cloudcuckooland is not an arbitrary childish fantasy because this is precisely what will happen when algorithms become better at analyzing our preferences and start to reveal our thoughts. These animals remind us of our first and most fundamental right, freedom of thought.

I want to raise the question; ‘What will be the definition of freedom of thought in the twenty-first century? A virtual age in which technology has enabled a collapse and hijacking of free and critical thinking. A time where we are no longer just media consumers; but a time where media consumes. Our cloud, the internet, is like a beautiful poem that captures our imagination. But maybe it's just a very bad doggerel.’

Josephina van de Water

The paper works

The films

Cloud Cuckoo Land

The Chameleon

The Monkey

The Red Cardinal