Until the darkness goes

Esther Urlus (NL)
Performance

A ‘tonal’ 16mm film performance, a sonorous poem of twilight, indistinctness and suggestiveness, I’m trying to make visible the darkness of a depressed mind. The suffering of an adolescent, my daughter. Colours and mood inspired by the famous and unique photograph ‘The Pond – Moonlight’ by Steichen(1904) and the Nocturne paintings by Whistler (1870).
Until the darkness goes is a live cinema project for four 16mm film projectors.
The work consists of several short 16mm film loops, grouped into different sequences. Each group consists of loops with similar, but not the same, film scenes in slightly different lengths. When played simultaneously, both overlapping as side by side, a phase shift occurs. The phrases gradually shift apart, creating a slight echo as each loop plays a little behind the other. Over time the difference in length creates a chaos in movement on the screen, after which the phrases eventually return, back through doubling, echo, and unison. Sound in this performance is created by optical tracks printed on the film. Through the looping in the 16mm film projector and the possibility to turn on the image and the sound track separately, a soundscape will be created simultaneously with the projected image.

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Part of the Member Residency Program 2024



Run Time: 25 minutes
Year of production: 2024
Country of production: Netherlands
Presentation Format: live performance
Color: yes
Sound: yes

estherurlus.hotglue.me
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