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VON HAUSSWOLFF, CM / THOMAS NORDANSTAD - Two films

Format: DVD Label & Cat.Number: Errant Bodies Records 03 ebr_03 Release Year: 2006 Note: incl. the films "Hashima, Japan (2002)", and "Al Qasr, bahriyah Oasis, Egypt (2005)" Price (incl. 19% VAT): €15.50 Warning: Currently we do not have this album in stock! More Info "Straddling the line between documentary and audio-visual meditations on landscape, the Hausswolff/Nordanstad filmic partnership taps both the detritus of human civilization and its uncanny ability to withstand the forces of nature. In “Hashima, Japan 2002” we are given a portrait of the Battleship Island off the coast of Nagasaki, a former mining island established by Mitsubishi and abandoned in the early 1970s. Through a series of captivating still shots, overlaid with a deep sonics of drones and small tonalities, the film captures the island and its haunting history as told through the slow decay of buildings. In contrast, “Al Qasr 2005” leads us to an oasis in Egypt, full of mystery and surprising beauty. Punctuated with found recordings of local songs, the film follows the slow ambience of the desert, the flowing of natural springs, and the steady movements of a landscape seemingly outside of time...." [website info] "Since much of the work of Carl Micheal von Hauswolff deals with urban cites, it's perhaps strange to think that much of his output doesn't involve film. So far I only know of a book with pictures. Here how this is made with two films shot by Thomas Nordanstad with music of Hauswolff. The first film shows us the Battleship Island off the coast of Nagasaki. Here once 5000 people who work in the mines on the same island. All very small and since 1974 empty. The island and buildings are there but in decay, beautiful decay that is. Nature takes over. The other film is about nature, an oasis in Egypt. Here there is sign of human activity, but it's mainly about the desert. In the Japan film Hauswolff's music is a very deep sonic, almost unearthly rumble, whereas in the Egypt film it starts with a present drone, to which found songs are added. This may seem an odd ball for the new Hauswolff fans but in fact hark back to the early days of Phauss. Two quite contrasting films: the austerity of Hashima and the sunlight covered Al Qasr, with two contrasting pieces of music by Hauswolff. As two interesting extra's there is a small documentary on Hashima, about a guy who wants to turn it into a museum. A pity that the music behind this documentary is a bit kitschy documentary like, which sort of breaks with the Hauswolff pieces. The other is the two artists talking about these films and how they were made, intentions and what else about these locations, which is quite nice. It's great to see Hauswolff going into this direction." [FdW / Vital Weekly] www.errantbodies.org