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APPETITE

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APPETITE is a story about a journey into the belly of the beast. It was originally inspired by a painting by Yagama and her poem “I Am Hungry. The APPETITE teaser video, is a standalone surrealist work of video art and gives a glimpse into the world of the longer 15 minute film. It has been shown at Kino Movimento and Cell 63 Gallery in Berlin. The final film will be directed by sisters Yagama and Ilina Perianova, who have recently collaborated on the Eat Me! (https://www.facebook.com/EatMeTheFilm) short musical film and the fairy tale Snegurochka.

Photo by Dian Zagorchinov
Photo by Dian Zagorchinov
Photo by Dian Zagorchinov
Photo by Dian Zagorchinov

 

APPETITE focuses on the theme of hunger and examines the need for connection that exists in our oversaturated consumerist society. It presents an absurdist allegory of our reality as the digestive system of a mythical rabbit. The journeys of a simple black and white animated hero through it lead the viewer on a grotesque, humorous trip resonating our own issues of desire and excess.

The film’s team is looking for like-minded coproducers and team members. Find out more about the project and connect with them at https://appetiteproject.wordpress.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/appetiteproject/

Here is an extract from the poem “I Am Hungry” by Yagama:

Dinner has commenced
the exquisite glitter of candelight caught
in the mercurial silhouettes of fine cutlery.
No slurping here.
The delicate boullion, though made of the past
is the noble colour of amber.
Spoons are gracious and receptive, like Mother
Then it hits you in the main vein anyway, of course
Knives cut through everything at stake
raw blood drips from empty spaces
Forks aristocratically poke at emotions
appetizing bits of veiled messages brought to the lips…
and the chewing –
you’d think they swallow the pieces whole,
so refined their mouth movements.
But their teeth are sharp.
The salad of confusion sprinkled with apathy
doesn’t excite anyone
but then again, we choose the healthy option.
Forgotten pieces of landmines explode between our teeth
This food is giving me nuclear decomposition.
I am glowing like a lightbulb…

Christie Neptune Surreal Video Art: An Afro-Surrealist Sci-fi Future

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Christie Neptune’s “She Fell from Normalcy” Stills

Shadow of Self Series
Shadow of Self Series

Note On Surrealism, Past and Present

Followers of contemporary surreal art, and perhaps this blog, may forget that surrealism (and it’s precursor, Dada) were politically inspired art movements. Dada’s “anti-philosophy” developed in reaction to World War I. Surrealism became notorious for many reasons. One of these was affiliating itself with the Communist Party, and taking its time in distancing itself from this position after the realities of the Communist Party in Russia became apparent.

But a cursory look at this blog or the Surreal Art Tumblr might get the impression that contemporary surrealism is mainly eye-candy, fantasy, and escapism. Pop Surrealist Mark Ryden’s Meat Show being a glorious exception.

Christie Neptune’s Surreal Video Art

Today we’re pleased to present work by contemporary artist Christie Neptune. Neptune’s video art (below) uses surrealist techniques to explore issues of race, gender, class, and mental health. We’re excited when contemporary artists use the language of surrealism to look at complex issues. Neptune’s work doesn’t oversimplify, or fall into “bumper sticker slogan” or “refrigerator magnet” traps as political art sometimes does. No, that’s the currency of the 24-hour news cycle and the political machines: enticing us with easy answers to difficult problems, and infinitely repeating talking points. Neptune explores complex dynamics in this elegant, inspired, surrealistic video art and exhibition.

She Fell From Normalcy

In She Fell From Normalcy, Christie Neptune uses sound, installation, original writing and video throughout the gallery to build a world stripped of the limitations of race, gender and class. As subject, Neptune employs two females trapped in a sterile, white environment in which they are controlled by an unseen presence; it is only after a cataclysmic break in the system that the females are granted clarity and self-recognition.

Via Hamilton Gallery

She Fell from Normalcy continues through July 30 at Hamiltonian Gallery. For more information, click here.

In 1984, the author and Black feminist, Audre Lorde penned the essay, “Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference,” where a “mythical norm” was defined as “white, thin, male, young, heterosexual, Christian, and financially secure.” Lorde wrote that anyone that exists outside of that identity lives on the margins of “the trappings of power.” In the exhibition She Fell from Normalcy,  artist Christie Neptune, counters those hegemonic idealizations described by Lorde through a sci-fi fantasy that centers around blackness, femininity, and a struggle with depression.

Neptune tells The Creators Project, “I deal with depression and it’s my attempt to reconcile that period. I developed this series of work that validates that experience in the African-American female. Depression is typically stigmatized in communities of color. It’s me speaking out and pulling away at those labels that limit my experience.” She adds, “You always hear this thing, ‘black people don’t get depressed that’s some white people shit.’ I decided to build up a mythical norm that is queued to Audre Lorde’s essay, where she describes how we are trying to live up to standards.”

Via Vice
Christie Neptune

The last film by Jan Švankmajer: Insects

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PRESS  RELEASE

Legendary filmmaker Jan Švankmajer needs your help to produce his final feature film titled Insects.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-last-film-by-jan-svankmajer-insects–4#/

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Campaign story

After five long years of preparations, legendary Czech filmmaker Jan Švankmajer is almost ready to start filming his final feature film titled Insects, a misanthropic and surreal imagery echoing Kafka and the Čapek Brothers.

Jan Švankmajer (81) and his long-time producing partner Jaromír Kallista (77) are teaming up to make their last feature-length film.

A local pub in a small town. It’s Monday and the bar is closed, chairs are turned up on the tables. The pub is empty except for six amateur actors sitting in a corner. They’ve met to rehearse “The Insect Play” by the Čapek brothers. On a raised platform across the room we see a stage, set for Act II of the play. As the rehearsal progresses, the characters of the play are born and die with no regard to time. The actors slowly become one with them and some of them experience frightening transformations…

“The Čapek brothers’ play is very misanthropic. I’ve always liked that — bugs behave as a human beings, and people behave as insects. My screenplay extends this misanthropy further while also reflecting Franz Kafka and his famous Metamorphosis.

Jan Švankmajer is eager to start filming as soon as possible. He’s very busy visiting entomological auctions, buying various kinds of bugs, doing rehearsal shots with them and so on. But both Jan Švankmajer and Jaromír Kallista have a condition – that the film needs to be fully funded before they start shooting. They would like to make it with a certain grace, not having to hastily secure funding in the process. And to do that, they need your help!

We believe that this last film belongs to all of you – Jan’s loyal fans from around the world. And if you decide to support this film, you’ll get to see it right when it’s finished. That’s why we chose crowdfunding over a maze of distributors, sales agents and so on.

“The civilization we live in has little interest in authentic artistic creation. What it needs is well-working advertisement, the iconographic contemporary art, pushing people towards more and more mass consumption.

It gets increasingly difficult to fund independent art that scrutinizes the very core of our society. Who would deliberately support their own critics? We make a film every five or six years not because of a lack of ideas, but due to the lack of funds to back up our projects. Crowdfunding may be the way to change this.” (JŠ)

We think this is a great opportunity to break a few industry habits but most importantly, deliver this film directly to you. That’s what we want the most, everything else is only a tool how to achieve it.

“To those of you who choose to support our effort, I want to thank you. I promise you that I will invest my entire body and soul into this last feature film of mine. After all, that’s the only way I know how to create.” (JŠ)

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-last-film-by-jan-svankmajer-insects–4#/

Alice by Jan Švankmajer

Praise for Alice

“The rabbit eats his own sawdust stuffing, the jam is full of tacks and the dollhouse becomes Alice’s prison, as Mr. Švankmajer’s extraordinary film explores the story’s dark undercurrents.”  – The New York Times

“It’s an astonishing film, a rather Lynchian journey into a dream-world.”  – The Daily Telegraph

Alice has received the best feature film award at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in 1989.

Dimensions of Dialogue

Probably the most famous of Jan’s shorts, Dimensions of Dialogue is an uncompromising look on some of the more negative aspects of how we communicate. Best to see for yourself.

Via Indiegogo

Scales

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Stills

About Scales

Scales is a project born from a dialogue between photographer Nicola Spadafranca and a sound designer Enrico Nicola Cascavilla. Cascavilla interpreted Spadafranca’ photographic project “Squame” making a short moving experimental video art using just the photographs. Cascavilla found a story through the photos that he told just with sound and a cinematic editing with after effects.

The Video

The Story

“Scales” is the journey of a man on an unknown planet, He’s looking for the truth, which is now increasingly difficult to find, as everywhere and everyone is being filled with material and spiritual garbage.
He is unable to deal with the “Scales” of his own past and he finds himself deviated from his true nature and true needs.
“Scales” is a journey to the centre of the earth with sounds and pictures. The pictures are recycled in a movie recounted with sounds. It’s a recycling project.

Concept, video, music and sound design by Enrico Nicola Cascavilla (ENC), a sound designer based in London enc-sound.net
Photographs by Nicola Spadafranca, an analogue photographer based in the gargano (south-east of italy) where these pictures were taken. Previous project “alla fine del viaggio.”

Voice by Marta Faustino, arts manager and art lover based in London. Co-founder of the online magazine noveltymag.co.uk/

Dagner – Surreal Music Video

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You see my eyes are open
Don’t need ’em blind or folded
Follow the thin red line!

 

 

Music: Dan Freeman And The Serious
Director: Michael Fragstein
Production Company: Büro Achter April
Set Design: Turan Tehrani
DoP: Rainer Sprenger
Performer: Igor Weiss
Grading: Walking On The Moon

Buy this track on bandcamp.com: 
danfreemanandtheserious1.bandcamp.com

8apr.de
danfreemanandtheserious.com
walkingonthemoon.tv