A 16mm Film That Documents Stillness And Self In The Australian Outback
- Name
- Jack Birtles
- Project
- Non -
- Images
- Jack Birtles
- Words
- Rosie Flanagan
Australian filmmaker Jack Birtles has teamed up with choreographer Cassandra Kowitz to create ‘Non –’. This enchanting short film uses the movement of a body in space as a metaphor for the struggle to be centered and present in an increasingly frantic world.
The film references the common desire or expectation that one should “assume a fixed, bold and worn identity”, the pair explain. ‘Non -’ addresses this by offering a fluid explanation of self that is without words. Kowitz’s mesmerizing movements are silhouetted against the mirrored surface of a lake in the Australian bush. “Through this work the body, heightened through dramatic symmetry and colour, speaks not only to connect with, but [to] create gestural imprints”, the pair explain. The piece is intended as an investigation into presence: In a world where we’re buying coloring books in bulk to foster mindfulness, it is a pleasant reminder that there are other ways to be centered.
Cinematography and Editing: Jack Birtles | Featuring: Cassandra Kowitz | Assistant: Brigid Gordon | Makeup: Sarah Smith | Wardrobe: SWOP Clothing Exchange | Music: Mary Lattimore, “The Quiet at Night”