CINECLUBES: Cinema and the collaborative (2021)
Diploma project Academy of fine arts Munich
(Akademie der bildenden Künste München)
CINECLUBES: Street cinema and cultural resistance in Brazil (2019)
Patrik Thomas (Klasse Olaf Nicolai)
Video-sculpture: scaffolding-poles, joints, wheels, 4 TV‘s, 4 speakers, synced media-player, projectionscreen, cable straps
Video: 4-Channel HD Synchronized video installation loop, runtime: 100min (1hr40m)
Language: Portuguese, with separate english overtitle-screen
Publication: 310 pages publication, accompanying and completing the exhibition
Special Events: Cineclube lecture, two different shortfilm screenings, discussions
About the work:
This work is an open archive, an ongoing research about the Cineclube-culture in Brazil, a form of cultural resistance in the metropolises of Brazil.
The protagonists are the cineclubistas, activists who use the means of cinema to fight for change. This installation follows them to the improvised venues, often located in the peripheries, and onto spontaneous film sets. In doing so, it delves into the living conditions of people in the outskirts of Brazilian cities which are characterized by insecurity and political tensions. In reaction to the difficult situation, the cineclubes have established themselves as social institutions as well as agile commentator on the grievances, enlivened by the fascination for the potential of an independent film-making process, using local, under-represented narratives.
The cineclubes are places of hope and self-determination. This work documents these utopian spaces, in- scribed in an uncompromising and highly accelerated social environment. In order to depict the situation of the activists and the fast pace of life, the installation itself takes over the form of an improvised cinema venue, unfolding the various layers of visual observations into the space, shifting the decision on what to put into the centre of attention to the audience. Also this work doesn‘t hide the imperfect moments, where the camera is shaky or the image is unfocused.
The interviews conducted in this artwork were done in spring and summer 2019. Due to the COVID19 situation, some cineclubes have changed and some members left.
The improvised video scaffolding-structure has two sides, one showing the video installation with four synchronized televisions. The other side has a projection screen and a wide angle HD projector. The sculpture is movable and can be turned around, according to the actual program.
Twice a week there is a cineclube-like presentation of films, either a selection of films from the Portuguese film-making laboratory MOVIMENTO, or a selection of films from Brazil, which were collected within the cineclube-research in 2019.
There will be also an open discussion with an informal lecture about the cineclube-movement in Brazil and Portugal. The exact date will be communicated at the front-door of the room.
Title: Cinema and the collaborative
Pages: 310pages A4 in black/white with color inserts, updated version: 330pages A5 in black/white with color inserts
Funding: by “LfA Förderbank” and “Bayerisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst”
Edition: First version: edition of 10; Updated version: edition of 20
Online Preview:
