BITE #9 – Caspar de Gelmini
Objects and Cells 1
Contemporary Bites Archive
Bite #9 by Caspar de Gelmini
2020/05/12
Berlin, Germany
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE US TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
In my films I am particularly interested in scientific material, found footage, which has a certain neutrality. An essay can then be developed using this scientific material. In Objects and Cells 1, the first thought was how evolution arises. Three levels opened: microorganisms from the sea and objects on a cellular basis (humans and plants).
The next step was to contact scientists and ask for material. It was special that I myself had to go to the microscope and look for my pictures. Then it went to the level of digital manipulation. I wanted to use the material like a scale, like a chord or a pice of music. This requires variation of images. The end result is a surrealistic world, a kind of dream world made of cells.
After studying music, I had to find a way to do what I wanted to do. Life as a musician quickly turned out to be difficult. I wanted to expand my towns with pictures early on. This led me to the film.
HOW DID THE COVID-19 BREAKDOWN AFFECT YOUR WORK AS AN ARTIST?
This story is a little creepy: I was dealing with cells, as already described. I didn’t really want to image sick cells, but when I met the scientists, they also gave me such pictures. You can also find these in the videos.
When I got the pictures of the Charité, I didn’t know anything about the Corona Virus. I didn’t even know that the viruses were researched in the institute where I got the pictures from.So my work unexpectedly became a work about Corona. The world stopped two weeks after my visit to the hospital. People wrote to me that you were touched because I had created a work over time. At first, this was not the intention. The feeling was mysterious.
HAS YOUR WAY OF THINKING/PRODUCING ART CHANGED? IN WHAT WAY?
I have again dealt with the films that I watched during my studies: Tarkovsky’s “Stalker”, Wenders “State of things”, Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia”, Geyrhalter’s “Pripyat”. The situation of hopelessness and isolation led me to wish to do something on the subject. I am currently planning a film in the Arctic of Finland.
EXTERNAL LINKS
ON THE ARTWORK
https://medias.ircam.fr/embed/media/x3d3053
WEBSITE
www.caspardegelmini.de
VIMEO
www.vimeo.com/caspardegelmini
