바디 랭귀지스_BODY LANGUAGES

BODY LANGUAGES

Thu, October 22, 2015, 7:00 PM

Cinecode Art Sonje

Curator: Maxa Zoller

Speakers: Adeena Mey + An Yuri

[Body Languages] screens experimental films that address concepts of language from a physical and instinctive perspective. This program introduces audiences to a diverse range of auteur films that explore the conditions and limits of the act of speaking, transcending generations and regions. It is not surprising that this program consists of works by female filmmakers. In a patriarchal society, since dominant language is constructed according to "male logic," speaking something publicly has always been "a double act" for women. Therefore, body language contributes to the concept of "feminine writing" (Ecriture feminine) by a group of feminist thinkers who emerged in the 1970s, particularly French feminists. Feminist liberation theorists such as Julia Kristeva and Ellen Cixous not only established theories regarding this type of writing but also treated the body and mind not as separate, hierarchical entities, but as closely related elements.

The program's opening film is *Ägypten*, a short film about sign language produced by Austrian director Kathrin Rejetaritz. By documenting a series of stories ‘spoken’ in sign language by adults and children, Rejetaritz demonstrates that language does not necessarily have to be linguistic. *Hold Your Ground*, produced by British filmmakers Karen Mirza and Brad Butler, develops the concept of non-verbal language in a completely different context. In this film, the performance is inspired by the revolutionary movement that took place in Egypt in 2011. Here, language becomes movement, and movement becomes language. Katarina Jentzler's *The Perfect Sound*, which documents private English lessons, addresses the theme of how difficult it is to learn a language. In Ahn Yuri's *Floating Land, Drifting Heart: from Texel to Jeju*, language becomes a moving and floating object. Inspired by the writings of Hendrik Hamel, this video beautifully conveys the poetics of language. Jane Parker's *K*, which deals with the materiality of language on a different level, is based on the director's own performance of pulling something out of her mouth. What she pulls out appears at first glance to be her own tongue, but it is actually a long piece of meat that she uses to weave clothes. Shirin Neshat's *Turbulence*, which concludes this program, features an immersive musical performance by two Iranian singers. The male singer performs in front of a packed audience, while the female singer performs in an empty venue, and her singing sounds partly like a sound art expression. In a rapidly changing world where geopolitical boundaries are being redefined, economic models are reaching their end, and power shifts are taking place, we need a new language to express what we feel. Due to global crises, we have taken a renewed interest in the concepts of voice, speech, and language that have recently been addressed in the fields of philosophy and art. [Body Languages] was conceived inspired by these new discourses, recent socio-political events—particularly the democratic revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa, and the waves of protests occurring in Europe and other Western regions. Above all, the feminist perspective that views language as a physical act is a useful concept in relation to the crisis of language we have faced (and continue to face) on the streets or in the classroom. Here, we are confronted with the question of how to speak a new language when the language we use has become obsolete.

Maxa Zoller
Lecturer on contemporary art and film in Cairo and works as a curator. She has hosted events introducing experimental and marginal filmmakers at major art museums such as the Tate Modern, and recently curated Anthony McCall's solo exhibition at the EYE Film Museum in Amsterdam. She currently serves as the curator of the screening program for Art Basel.

Screening Introduction

Kathrin Leggettáritz

[Egypt]

Austria, 1997, 10 min

This film is the first experimental documentary by Kathrin Leggettáritz, an Austrian actress and filmmaker who previously worked as an assistant director under the world-renowned director Michael Haneke. Depicting the process of observation, this beautiful black-and-white film can be described as a detailed portrait of people with hearing or speech impairments. Through sign language, they convey incredibly nuanced emotions; their sign language sometimes resembles pantomime or conveys expressions even richer than spoken language. Karen Mirza & Brad Butler

[Hold Your Ground]

UK, 2012, 7 min 57 sec

This work by British artists Karen Mirza and Brad Butler captures the student protests in the UK in 2010 and the Egyptian Revolution in 2011 through the eyes of a filmmaker. The actors' movements are inspired by leaflets found in Cairo titled "How to protest intelligently" and footage of historical protests. This piece was conceived as a site-specific installation at the public space of London's Canary Wharf subway station and as part of [Deep State] (2012). Mirza and Butler operate no.w.here in London, a cinema space that houses the last remaining analog film research institute and hosts film screenings, workshops, summer schools, and various educational events.

Katarina Jentzler

[The Perfect Sound]

Netherlands/UK, 2009, 14:30

This film covers an accent-removal class in Birmingham, UK, where residents are known for using a strong accent. Teachers and students strive to eliminate pronunciation differences in order to obtain a ‘voice mask’ that is essential for getting along with one another in a friendly relationship. Degerard is a Serbian artist and filmmaker who has produced a series of videos dealing with themes such as language and translation in unique contexts. Her works present themes through intimate close-up shots based on subtle and calm observations.

An Yuri

[Floating Land, Drifting Heart: from Texel to Jeju]

2015, South Korea, 7:00

This work is Ahn Yuri’s graduation project from the Gerrit Lietveld Academy. Ahn Yu-ri creates visual poetry with impressive clarity, based on the writings of Hendrik Hamel, who wrote *Hamel’s Account of a Shipwreck* (1653–1666) in the 17th century. Hamel, who belonged to the Dutch East India Company, began his voyage from Texel Island, and the artist connects this island with Jeju Island, which he visited before departing for Amsterdam. In this poetic video, the sea is a metaphor for the boundary plane of language and displacement.