The work was open for viewing only during the Summer Screenings 2024.
MOTHER’S HOUSE by Alvaro Collar China, Spain, UK (2024)
“Mother’s House” confronts the viewer with the impossible return to innocence. Configured as a digital palimpsest, the piece deconstructs traditional film language, exploring abstraction, narrative recursion, low-resolution imagery, and flow as alternative modes of post-hyperrealistic representation. Through exposure to this array of distorted images, the audience is invited to participate instinctively and emotionally in a process of decoding and re-semantization, interpreting and completing the work.
Director’s statement
In my work, I delve into the exploration of dreamlike narratives and the fusion of surreal imagery and storytelling, drawing inspiration from the cinematic experimentation of visionary artists like Stan Brakhage or David Lynch. Following a focus on visual abstraction and emotional expression, I seek to capture the essence of the human experience through the creative manipulation of the audiovisual medium.
Most of my pieces are also influenced by the ideas of Guy Debord, particularly his concept of dérive. I aim to capture this sensation by taking the viewer through emotional and mental landscapes that defy the conventions of linear narrative. I am interested in how dérive can unlock new forms of perception and knowledge, and how we can use it as a tool to explore the complexities of modern life.
My approach extends beyond simply presenting a story; I actively encourage the audience to engage in the creative process. I urge them not to be mere observers, but active participants who contribute to the reinterpretation of the plot and the construction of meaning. It is an interactive experience where the audience plays a vital role in shaping the narrative.
Bio
Álvaro Collar (Madrid, 1981) is an experimental filmmaker and video artist. He is a founding member of the video art collective Haz! and an associate at AVAM (Asociación de Artistas Visuales de Madrid).
He specializes in low-resolution videos, having produced notable works such as Centrífuga (2007), which secured the prize for Best Original Idea at the First MovilFilmFest, and Myriad (2012), winner of the Best Video Award at Movilfilmfest Tenerife and the Best Short Film Award at Urban TV. Additionally, he twice won the Minute Movie Cup: with Onírica (2009) and with Quinta habitación (2006), representing Spain at the UNICA World Minute Movie Cup in 2009 and 2006 respectively.
Currently, Álvaro Collar is the dean of the School of Cultural Technology at Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University in China.
A video by Alvaro Collar
Cast: Yurika Kodama
Narration: Paul Adkin
Additional Sound – aemyn, audiopapkin, badoink, bevibeldesign , camel7695, eminyildirim, felixblume, hz37, joedeshon, marcelorabago, mornagar, oliwoli, pchester, postproddog, rizzard, swiftoid, szegvari, and tetenoise
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.
