Anna Bieluszko & Magdalena Jachimiak (Poland)
biography
VIP – VideoChannel Interview
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Video title:
Mother
2008, 14:52
This experimental video art is taking viewers through a visionary journey, where the natural cycle of life is shown and its eternal continuity;
By the use of symbols, we are taken into the depth of our roots.
The Mother figure is a guard of that cycle, she guarantees continuity. She passes on the experiences and wisdom she gains to future generations.
She is centre of all, she has the powers of healing and creation.
Mother nature has many faces but our film uses a passive mask, which can mask her many emotional states and simultaneously provides a face which avoids the clichéd rosy cheeked earthiness, by which motherhood or ‘mother nature is frequently portrayed.
The story opens in a world of grey, bleak ruin and decay where mankind’s
touch has destroyed all that nature has blessed us with.
In the opening scenes this decay and destruction gives rise to a piteous scene. The Mother figure gives birth to a dead baby and buries it.
She is deeply in pain and despair. In an act of desperation she throws her energy into the sky calling for some greater natural power to relieve the human suffering. She distractedly paints simple signs feeding her anguish into the painting.
A second woman, a ghost-like visitation in white responds to this call. By contrast she is light, joyful and curious creature.She is tracing all the signs, the first woman drew.
But macabre voices (of all women-mothers) are leading her towards a corridor – and a tunnel full of bones (symbol of the eternal, timeless remains of the human condition.
The ladder made of bones (symbolising transition) is leading her to another more natural world.
Now both women are in a natural, peaceful and open space –
away from all claustrophobia and decay.
This is a place of sanctuary – where they will perform the ritual of healing.
As the ritual develops the film draws upon the images and sounds of Flamingos. These become the surreal signs of a parallel world, where almost fantastical creatures of astonishing beauty represent the ancient force of creation. These creatures become the very antithesis of the grey, bleak decay at the start of the film.
The women undergo an unclothing and re-dressing – symbolising a shedding of their own worldly despair.
Once they are revitalised by this they are repairing an incubator and putting broken pieces of an eggshell into it – symbolically restoring life.
They are dancing and joyfully swinging the ladder made of bones.
Through these rituals and their love, they are passing the breath of life to the egg and manage to bring it to life, thus restoring the natural cycle of life,
Their triumph and celebration is the celebration of the power of nature to conquer the forces of man-made evil and destruction.
This video participates in
CologneOFF IV – Here We Are!
4th edittion of Cologne Online Film Festival
Mother program