The Invisible Shift, 2024 (short film, approx. 15mins) 

‘The Invisible Shift’ is a 15 minute experimental documentary by artist Caroline Mackenzie, centred around reflections of women's work, rest and play.

 

More people are working night shifts than ever before. This has grown to over 7 million people during the pandemic and almost 3.9 million of those are women*. While most of us are sleeping, these women are conducting ‘invisible’ work and have done since time began. But with shift work deemed ‘probably carcinogenic’ by the World Health Organisation, what is the toll of working the graveyard shift?

 

The film explores the hidden human side through the eyes of a Windrush generation nurse called Thelma, as she shares her life experience as a caregiver, a woman of colour, an immigrant, a mother and a grandmother. The film reveals through memories, narratives of adventure, duty, joy, shame, play and what constitutes rest. It shines a light on the unpaid work women carry out in their own families and how these roles ‘shift’ over time.

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With Mackenzie’s ongoing interest in time sensitive work, as well as electronic light and its physiological and phenomenological effects, this project has allowed an exploration into circadian rhythms in response to the exposure of light and dark within the cinematic experience. With ongoing conversations with the ‘Sleep & Circadian Neuroscience Institute' at Oxford University, the film’s projection plays with coloured light from a 'sunrise alarm clock' to support the wellbeing and circadian health of the viewer, in order to support their awakening journey.

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*’22 ONS, Jan. 2023

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Installation preference: the film would like to occupy the viewers' field of vision for a truly immersive experience