Week 2 again featured 3 films, 2 from the US and one from Poland. We started with Hubert Bak's "With...Out," followed by Erica Schreiner's "Quarantine," and Richard Jordan's "Dirty Souvenirs." All films are connected by their exploration of humanity during lockdown, creating art from what was available to them, be it old footage, their homes, or themselves. All three films are linked below, plus a special introduction by Richard Jordan to his film. We now post new films daily on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, so follow us there for more incredible films.
With...Out - Hubert Bak
From Hubert: "The idea was born in the mind of Piotr Kusal, who, during the quarantine of Covid-19, created a musical piece. And next I made a movie, so this is our joint project. We wanted to warn people - we only have one planet earth, we have to take care of it because it is beautiful - even right behind a house, in an ordinary forest, on a meadow or in the garden...We only have one planet earth. That's why we have to care for her. People will not survive without earth. The earth will survive without people." I wanted to create a climate, I wanted to refer to human actions against nature. That's why I used video files that were originally intended for a completely different film-project, but because of COVID-19 all work was suspended, so all I could do was to watch nature. All I could do was leave the house and watch nature. And I decided to be creative and make something important from older material... I hope I succeeded."
Quarantine - Erica Schreiner
Erica Schreiner is an experimental video and performance artist, writer and poet based in New York City. From Erica: "I make experimental, allegorical, video art pieces in which I also perform. In these films I invent imaginary worlds that are ethereal and disturbing, combining anarchistic themes and feminine sensuality. Sometimes without dialog, my visual language is constructed from carefully studied symbols like butterflies, fruit, flowers, eggs and personal objects, which endure a process of destruction and resurrection. These objects get destroyed by fire, knives, hammers, the tearing of their specific flesh, nails, forks, teeth, drowning, mutilated to later find themselves resurrected as a changed thing or remain in fragments. Reflecting on experiences of a traumatized childhood, concepts of god, the need to return to nature, loss of love, and love, I invite the viewer into my private world of magical realism. This is a world where I am simultaneously the story and the storyteller; simultaneously humorous and very authentic. Influenced by Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, the Riot Grrrl music movement and auteur cinema, I found my personal aesthetic through sophisticated treatment of shooting on a VHS camera in my bedroom alone. In my earliest video art (The Skye Project), my character Skye is often dressed up without any intention of leaving her room (reclusive femininity). I've always had a fascination with performance as a medium specifically when a live audience is not present and what it means to perform for oneself. I also enjoy treating each frame as a moving painting, instilling intimacy and specificity into each composition. I create these videos inside my apartment. Shorter videos take a few months to make and my feature films take two year of work. I shoot on VHS and then digitize the footage, so I can edit digitally. My art is best viewed large and projected. My VHS camera is important to me for many reasons. It represents something from another time. Rarely seen within high definition video, my treatment of VHS footage contains a cinematic, romantic idealism and a lush and original sophistication. I'm also a writer of stories, scripts and poetry. My video art combines both mediums, my visual language and storytelling. For me, neither can exist without the other. It's not enough to create something beautiful. It must contain a personal story and a universal message."
Dirty Souvenirs - Richard Jordan
It only took a pandemic for Richard to finally clean out his room. Watch as he pulls a booze-inspired all-nighter going through every piece of clothing, paper & bottle cap while recounting some funny memories; deciding which ones to keep, and which to throw away.
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