Volcanoes are cultural figures that either sleep deeply or send out signs of life through seismographs or ash clouds. They are a collective harbour for a stream of images of the unconscious. The selected video works and performances, which are located at the interface between visual art and film, trace the animistic and transformative potential of volcanoes. They bring vanished islands to light, stones to speak and bear witness to the hypnotic afterglow of volcanic eruptions.
With works by Malena Szlam, Ojoboca, Diana Vidrascu, Paulo Abreu, Samuel Delgado/ Helena Giron and others.
A co-operation between the Stuttgarter Filmwinter and the ifa-Galerie Stuttgart, curated by Florian Fischer.
Asleep
Portugal 2012, 12:00 Min., Super 8
Director: Paulo Abreu
Asleep is an observational documentary film that explores the Azores island of Faial with self-shot and archival Super 8 footage. When the Capelinhos volcano erupted in 1957, the erupting lava and ash created a neighbouring peninsula. Paulo Abreu creates a mesmerising exploration of the eroded terrain. The shots circle around a lighthouse that lives a fragile existence due to the dormant but not extinct volcano.
Bloom
Spain 2023, 18:00 Min., 16 mm
Directors: Samuel Delgado, Helena Girón
The mythical Isla de San Borondón (St. Brendan’s Isle) appears and disappears. Throughout history it has been placed near the Canary Islands on maps. The legend of the island of San Borondón became so pervasive that expeditions were organized to discover and conquer it for three hundred years. After centuries of oblivion, it has finally been found.
What Does a Lake Dream?
Portugal 2019, 21:00 Min., 16 mm
Director: Diana Vidrasc
In her experimental short film, Diana Vidrascu also explores the Azores archipelago, which is generally characterised by intense tectonic activity. This instability of the landscape is also reflected in the film’s 16 mm material, which Vidrascu uses in a collage-like and fragmented manner. In this way, she approaches a formal realisation that reflects the hidden, volcanic formation of the islands. Complemented by a pulsating sound design by the artist Mondkopf, a cinematic experience is created in which human and geological time meet.
Altiplano
Canada, Chile 2018, 21:00 Min., 35 mm
Director: Malena Szlam
Altiplano is a landscape portrait already cut in the camera that traces the luminous salt plains, volcanic deserts and shimmering lakes in the Andes. In Malena Szlam’s work, these motifs become subjective figures that harbour history and spirituality. Altiplano is a psychedelic journey that allows us to experience geological time and animistic connections.