Synopsis
In Pursuit of Venus, the panoramic video by Lisa Reihana, is a moving image interpretation of the French scenic wallpaper Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique.
Directed by Lisa Reihana
In Pursuit of Venus, the panoramic video by Lisa Reihana, is a moving image interpretation of the French scenic wallpaper Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique.
An incredible experimental art film installation chronicling the arrival, mutual exchanges and ultimate demise of Captain James Cook in Hawaii.
Based on an 1804 panoramic wallpaper, the film marries an ever scrolling, approximately 85ft painted backdrop with actors in period Georgian and Polynesian costume seamlessly composited into the frame. Each scene plays like its own vignette, carrying a distinct meaning, though four or five may unfold on screen at once. It is breathtaking and hypnotic to behold.
Seen as part of the “Journeys with Mai” exhibition at The Box, Plymouth.
Did not know this was on here, so I'm writing up my thoughts months later.
To me, the film can be chunked up into three main parts:
The first part deals with the treatment of what would probably be considered salvage ethnography in another context: song and dance performances, and ritualized depictions of cultural practices (specifically domesticity).
The second deals with contact: Cook's arrival and their first encounters with different Pacific peoples. The tone of the film changes to something more comical with gaffes structured around different cultural misunderstandings, though there are occasionally tense interactions. There is a focus on the activities of Cook's crew, namely measurement and record-keeping.
The third part deals with the imposition of British hegemony: colonial…
Top 10 art pieces of all time…plays at my workplace so I go watch when it’s not busy 😊
Incredibly cool way to make art and tell stories and I feel really lucky to be able to have witnessed it #ubcmuseumofanthropology
The type of art piece that shows the importance of consuming art from a variety of cultures and nationalities
Pretty stunning experience. At UBC's Museum of Anthropology (the rest of the museum is pretty amazing too.)