The work was open to the public for free for a limited amount of time only! October 20 – November 3.
“Faulty Technologies” (00:04:30) by Sabina Suru, Romania, 2020
Synopsis
“Faulty Technologies” is a multimedia project that questions the potential of visual mutation based on technological glitches and accidents. It renegotiates the connections between dissociated fields: analogue vs. digital, still vs. moving image, body in presence vs. absence. It builds on decomposing the moving image medium that records fluid body movement back into the structural photographs, frame by frame, from digital to analogue: digital frame to printed material – here, an inkjet printer that shifts the basic images into a visual realm that is no longer recognizable within the initial visual frame. By looking into the anatomy of the medium and growing back into moving image, analogue slides back into the digital in a resulting hybrid that feels more like an “object”, a piece difficult to label as belonging to a particular field, bringing forth a version of reality that can only be seen through the glitched instrumentalizing technology.
Director’s statement: “Faulty Technologies” started out as a dance film. At the moment we found ourselves on the brink of quarantine, not having the possibility to work directly with Irina, the choreographer in our small team of two (at the time), I decided to quietly set up the storyboard and wait patiently. It just so happened that my printer didn’t want to go along with my decision at all. So I resolved to make an ally of her errors and see how far I could push the idea of accident, glitch, faltyness. I got out of my comfort zone and pushed myself also, towards digital media.
It is a fact that the online can favour emotional alienation in certain contexts, but it can equally be a trans-geographical platform and facilitate a different kind of closeness. And this second approach was the cradle of this project. On the other hand, my practice is based on analogue processes (analogue and alternative photography, installation, object, and more recently
silver-based holography), so crossing over to digital has been a notable challenge. This first iteration of Faulty Technology is based on decomposing the video image medium back into structural stills, frame by frame, then passing them through a sequence of analogization and scanning processes (and serendipity, inevitably) and returning them back to video
About the director: “I am a cultural manager and multimedia artist, based in Bucharest, RO.
Throughout my professional practice, I have built on the relation between applied arts (in my case, silver-based and alternative photography, photo-object and interactive installation) and scientific practices, as a basis for innovating how we look at, relate to and develop art and culture. My main interest of research and practice is the “photographical” as a scientific tool. As such, in 2019, I co-founded “Qolony” (an NGO for art & science projects). I also collaborate with artists and practitioners from various fields, such as science research, contemporary dance or speculative research, in a multimedia frame of work.”
Pebbles Underground is focused on showcasing and promoting experimental, avant-garde, underground, and no-to-low budget projects by artist-humans from all over the world. Absurd, uncanny, witty, humorous, slow-video – all are welcomed, and loved.
Pebbles Underground is an independent project not funded by any government or corporation, and we intend to keep it that way. Main source of funding is personal donations from humans organizing the project, who are artists themselves, and the main drive of the project is formed by the energy and involvement of the organizers, and the public.
