≪ Votre film est le plus beau document sur l’humanité que j’ai jamais vu ! ≫

“Your film is the most beautiful document about humanity I have ever seen!”  Jean Guizerix, former star of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Two hands work together in a natural environment.

Film – Chien-Ming Chang and Katy Pendlebury
Dancers – Charley Bradley and Martin Mendy
Camera – Angharad Overton
Sound Design – Katy Pendlebury
Edit – Katy Pendlebury

Points of departure:

In April 2013, I took part in an intergenerational film project organised by the Hofesh Shechter Dance Company.  A collaborative effort between local dancers Charley Bradley and Martin Mendy, dancer and choreographer Chien-Ming Chang, filmmaker Angharad Overton and myself, we created a film for the project Nomad Land which was exhibited at the Brighton Festival 4-18 May 2013.

The movement material emerged from the simple action of creating dough by adding flour to water, and through the idea of two men working together.  The compositional intervention of a pair of hands from two different individuals operating as one – one black/one white, one old/one young – emerged out of this exploration.  The choreography of the piece emerges from the shaping of the functional everyday movements of a baker working with flour.

I found the slow motion footage in which this composite pair of hands work together, playing with some flour, extremely intriguing.  The viewer registers that the hands must belong to two people, however, at times the action seems as if it could be one person moving their hands – rather like an optical illusion. I decided to try to edit a new piece using only this footage.

Screenings:

The International Video Dance Festival Of Burgundy in Le Creusot, France, May 2014

Light Moves Festival of Screendance in Limerick, Ireland, November 2014 – Winner, Best Student Work

Dança Em Foco in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 2015

“Private Cinema Installation” at Dance Film Festival UK, London, August 2015

FIVC OFF – a monitor-based installation at FIVC, Festival Internacional de Videodanza de Chile in November 2015

Joie de Vivre, a programme celebrating and showcasing mature dancers, Pavillion Dance South West, Bournemouth, October 2016

 

Online videodance library:

Snöplog was invited to join the International Video Dance Festival of Burgundy’s collection on Numéridanse TV.  It has been viewed over 3500 times since February 2016.