‎In Pursuit of Venus (2016) directed by Lisa Reihana • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

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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.

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Review by Frosty_Seafire

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.

Review by Emerson Goo

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…