We have the privilege to work with fabulous film maker Carlos Bustamante. He has been following our work and filmed most of our performances for the past ten years. Below is a short text he wrote about his work. The archived documentation films alongside thorough interviews with each of the four performers will be made public in 2020.
"These videos are inspired by the performance works of Grapeshade.
My aim was not to document their performances as such, objectifying the activities, but to capture the elements which make the experience of the performance so movingly unique. Each Grapeshade performance creates an uncharted new world that exists only in the moment in which it is being created. It is not a narrative about single persons, but how each individual becomes a medium that fulfils a function and how each element communicates with other elements, so that a strong synergetic field develops.
An important challenge in the making of the videos was to gain an awareness of these connections and relationships; and to create a method for capturing them on video. For the video-shooting I decided to use a basic algorithm, a very simple formula in order to eliminate the conventional choices which are usually available to the video maker While the rules set were very rigid, the capturing of the images required spontaneous decisions. The editing respects entirely the original time frame axis set by the music. Thanks to this, one becomes aware of the elements’ connections in a very differentiated and profound manner.
The videos enable the spectator to discover in-between spaces and to participate in the exploration of a new world which is being created in the moment of its improvisation. The videos thus create a point of view that is both complex and revealing of the spirit with which the artist performers are working."
Carlos Bustamante
"These videos are inspired by the performance works of Grapeshade.
My aim was not to document their performances as such, objectifying the activities, but to capture the elements which make the experience of the performance so movingly unique. Each Grapeshade performance creates an uncharted new world that exists only in the moment in which it is being created. It is not a narrative about single persons, but how each individual becomes a medium that fulfils a function and how each element communicates with other elements, so that a strong synergetic field develops.
An important challenge in the making of the videos was to gain an awareness of these connections and relationships; and to create a method for capturing them on video. For the video-shooting I decided to use a basic algorithm, a very simple formula in order to eliminate the conventional choices which are usually available to the video maker While the rules set were very rigid, the capturing of the images required spontaneous decisions. The editing respects entirely the original time frame axis set by the music. Thanks to this, one becomes aware of the elements’ connections in a very differentiated and profound manner.
The videos enable the spectator to discover in-between spaces and to participate in the exploration of a new world which is being created in the moment of its improvisation. The videos thus create a point of view that is both complex and revealing of the spirit with which the artist performers are working."
Carlos Bustamante
