Thursday, September 29, 2022

Istituto Veneto di Scienze - Lettere ed Arti - Palazzo Loredan - The Venice Glass Week - Venice Hub

Istituto Veneto di Scienze - Lettere ed Arti - Palazzo Loredan
The Venice Glass Week - Venice Hub 
 
The Italian Glass Weeks - Venice HUB hosted a series of installations in the home of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti at Palazzo Loredan, in Campo Santo Stefano. The HUB was curated by Rosa Barovier Mentasti and realised in collaboration with the company GreenSpin, and hosted installations by international artists and designers.
 
 
Bibi Smit - Netherlands - 1965
Maru Mori - The Heartbreaking Simplicity of ordinary Things 
 
These sculptures embrace an ode to the joy and simplicity of nature, coming fully alive and creating a new beauty. Fruits casually fallen become representations of slightly uncomfortable, clumsy and awkward, but tasty, fragments of nature. The work embodies the pleasure of seeing a tulip petal falling, still and quiet, on the table. Each piece is unique and free-blown, shaped by the artist in a controlled movement. In a moment of tension and distortion, a petal is brought once again back to life. 
 
  
Simone Crestani - Italy - 1984
Irriverenza
 
Free reinterpretation of a Venetian goblet. A timeless symbol of virtuosity revised in an elegant blend of execution and thought. Technique becomes romantic irreverence, beyond the confines of time and tradition. A tribute to a profession that still knows how to amaze. Made by Simone Crestani himself with Borosilicate glass worked at the torch in his studio in Vicenza.
 
 
"I try to find the soul of a phenomen and save it in glass"
 
Anna-Kaisa Kukkonen-Madi - Finland 1964
Saaret Islands  
 
Saaret Islands are mysterious reminders of pure water. The unique mouth-blown glass sculptures hide miniature islands inside. The islands made with steam-stick technique float in the water which reflects them like a mirror. The cut surface of the water is still. "Pure nature is the only luxury we have", Anna-Kaisa Kukkonen-Madi, the creator of the installation says. they are based on the artist´s childhood memory.
 
 
Emmanuel Babled - France - 1967 / Lara Morrell England - 1987
Ubuntu
 
Ubuntu is an installation of a series of glass vessels by designer Emmanuel Babled and artist Lara Morrell, informed by their recent journey together in Africa.The concept behind the installation is underpinned by African ethics of Ubuntu and holism in regards to nature. A series of glass vessels are arranged above a platform of cracked red earth, they allude to the flora and fauna of Africa and the generative power of natural phenomena, whilst sealed vessels, elevated by locally sourced wooden structures, point to traditional African ceremonial wares, containers of secrets and metaphysical truths. 
 

 

Sini Majuri - Findland - 1985
Communication: Jungle
 
What is communication? The Jungle collection resonates with Finally Together sculptures as a metaphor of individual communication in society. Contrast in Nature and the way it creates harmony is the premise of the installation. The language of glass has a potential to be light and strong at the same time. The rhythm of the glass-making process ensures that each object has a unique charisma and soul - as a core of the wordless dialogue.
 

 Tanja Pak - Solvenia - 1971
Silence
 
A group of three pieces of molten glass in different shades of sky-grey invites the viewer to contemplate and perceive the invisible line between Here and There, between Being and Non-Being, which appears as a soft transition of saturation. The works tell the story of a Silence built within oneself while walking through Time and Being and which reflects the awareness of the space between Here and There. It is an intimate "reverie" of isolated worlds.
 
 
Leslie Anne Genninger - USA - 1959
Murano Water 
 
Acqua di Murano...a morphology of Murano past and present reflects into the future. Fundamental to Murano’s survival are actions...acts of creation, repetition, collaboration, mastering, listening, watching, and collecting...each essential to the other like water to an Island. Objects recovered from the past created by unknown Masters whose purpose is now defunct, are merged, morph and metabolise into a new life, a new alchemy, an elixir for Murano...a drop of water….survival.
 
 
Melvin Anderson - Aruba - 1944
Transparent Decorative Objects 
 
In Melvin Anderson's work, Northern European clarity meets Italian warmth, and traces of Africa mingle with memories of the Caribbean, his birthland. The forms flow surprisingly and unexpectedly like a stream of consciousness. They are sculptures that defy the hardness of glass, created with the refinement of great performers by master glassmakers Andrea Zilio of the Anfora furnace in Murano and Richard Price of Van Tetterode in Amsterdam.
 

 
 
Marja Hepo-Aho -Ukraine - 1986
Communication - Finally Together
 
Natural stone and blown glass come together in the works of the Finally Together collection. Next to the timeless stone, glass becomes a spiritual creature: melting into the roughness of stone, bringing contrast and tension. Behind the name is a playful thought of these materials separated during millenia now Finally Together. These sculptures resonate with the Jungle collection exemplifying communication and understanding.
 
 
Chen Peiper - Netherlands - 1946
Refugees
 
Chen Peiper expresses her work in an extremely sensitive way. People have fled from their countries across wild seas in inhuman conditions. The colours of the sky and the sea and in between, human beings. This is the essence of the work “Refugees”. The sea is their last refuge. The use of the magnifying glass and a “net of hope” overwhelms this global problem. Images emerge from countless events of refugees at sea, on their way in search for a safe haven.
 
 
Giovanna Palandri
director -  Istituto Veneto di Scienze - Lettere ed Arti
member of the jury -  Premio Fondazione di Venezia
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 

Thursday, September 15, 2022

#BiennaleCinema2022 - #Venezia79 - The Venice International Film Festival - Favorite Films - The Banshees of Inisherin + Dead for a Dollar + The Hanging Sun

 

Photograph - Walt Disney Studios - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
 
 The Venice International Film Festival
The Banshees of Inisherin
Martin McDonagh
 
Martin McDonagh who directed and wrote the script of the film  The Banshees of Inisherin is set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, it follows lifelong friends Padraic and Colm, who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship. A stunned Padraic, aided by his sister Siobhan and troubled young islander Dominic, endeavours to repair the relationship, refusing to take no for an answer. But Padraic’s repeated efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve and when Colm delivers a desperate ultimatum, events swiftly escalate, with shocking consequences.
Main cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan
 
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson
 
photograph ASAC - A.Avezzu - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia 
 
Director's Statement
"...I did want to do something a little quieter and less in-your-face than the other movies. It’s definitely less Hollywood. It feels quite sort of European somehow, although that wasn’t in my head when I was doing it. But I knew there was room for the landscapes to be part of it. I wanted it to be as beautiful as any Irish film has been, if possible. So we were always aiming for that, which allowed us to leave more space and quietness I think than in some of the other movies. It’s probably less plotty and more of a character study than any of the others too. But I think it’s equally as funny as the funny bits of the others."
Martin McDonagh
told Alex Ritman of The Hollywood Reporter
Awarded Best Screenplay 
 

Photograph - Walt Disney Studios - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
 
The Banshees of Inisherin
 Colin Farrell 
 
photograph ASAC - A.Avezzu - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia 
 
Coppa Volpi - Best Actor
Colin Farrell
The Banshees of Inisherin
Martin McDonagh receives the prize for Colin Farrell
 
photograph ASAC - Giorgio Zucchiati - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia  
 
Red Carpet
Colin Farrell 
 
photograph ASAC - Giorgio Zucchiati - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia   
 
The Red Carpet 
Martin McDonagh and Brendan Gleeson  
 
Official still - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
 
Dead for a Dollar 
Walter Hill  
 
1897. Dead for a Dollar - directed and screenplay by Walter Hill - follows veteran bounty hunter Max Borlund deep into Mexico where he encounters professional gambler and outlaw Joe Cribbens—a sworn enemy who Max sent to prison years before. Borlund is on a mission to find and return Rachel Kidd, the hostage wife of a wealthy Santa Fe businessman. Discovering that Mrs. Kidd has actually fled from an abusive marriage, Max is ultimately faced with a choice: finish the dishonest job he’s been hired to accomplish or stand aside while ruthless mercenary outlaws and his long-time rival close in... Max and his partner Alonzo Poe have nothing to gain if they resist— nothing save honour.
Main cast:  Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Rachel Brosnahan, Warren Burke, Benjamin Bratt.
 
photograph ASAC - Giorgio Zucchiati - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia  
 
Director's Statement
"Dead For A Dollar is a small and simple tale, but one that tries to valorise many of the tropes of the traditional western: primitive nobility, ordeals of combat that define honour, nostalgia for the past, and the old hard religion of courage. But simultaneously, it’s an attempt to deal with the modern issues of race and gender that we still struggle with today. It was my good fortune to write and direct the film. Getting it financed was a miracle. Working with the cast, a beatitude.
Walter Hill 
 Awarded Cartier Glory to the Filmaker Award 
 
Official still - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia 
 
Dead for a Dollar
William Dafoe 
 
Official still - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia 
 
Dead for a Dollar
 Rachel Brosnahan and Christoph Waltz 
 

 
photographs ASAC - Giorgio Zucchiati - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
 
Dead for a Dollar
 Rachel Brosnahan
 
 
photograph Matteo Gastel - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
 
The Hanging Sun
Francesco Carrozzini

John is on the run after defying his father, a crime boss. Pursued by his brother, John heads to the far North. He comes to an isolated village, where the sun never sets, with a small community of strict religious conformists: a place that seems to belong to another era. There, he meets Lea, a woman in difficult straits, but showing great strength, and her son Caleb, a curious child with a pure heart. Lea also has her demons: the death at sea of her abusive husband Aaron. As the days go by, the three grow closer. For Lea, John is the first man able to offer her protection, but without depriving her of her freedom; and for Caleb, he is an unhoped-for father figure with whom he can share his world. John also seems to glimpse in this encounter the possibility of redemption and a new life. Inevitably, they begin to feel like a newly-formed family. With John at bay as his brother closes in, and Aaron’s brother setting his sights on Lea, the two must find a way to break the ties to their past and start over.
Main cast: Alessandro Borghi, Jessica Brown Findlay, Sam Spruell, Frederick Schmidt, Raphael Vicas, Peter Mullan, Charles Dance. 
 
Alessandro Borghi and Jessica Brown Findlay 
 
photograph Matteo Gastel - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia 
 
Director's Statement
 
"When I first read Nesbo’s novel Midnight Sun, I was in California, and nothing could have been further from the landscapes described. Yet, I immediately felt passionate about this story of life at the very edge of the world. All the work I subsequently did on myself and consequently on the film meant a bumpy, surprising and cathartic journey, during which I became a father and learned what it means to be a son. Stefano Bises’ writing gave great power to the path, helping to solidify a romantic drama with the cement of noir. And finally, the relationship with these rare, talented actors revealed to me the magic of making cinema, a dream I always had and which has now become reality."
Francesco Carrozzini  
 
photograph Matteo Gastel - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia 
 
The Hanging Sun 
Alessandro Borghi 
 
photograph Matteo Gastel - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia 
 
The Hanging Sun 
Charles Dance 
 
 MORE 
 Favorite Films
 
Please Note 
My Favorite films selection is based on the films I saw - unfortunately I was unable to see all  the films - especially
Tar
Todd Field
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Laura Poitras 
which I look forward to seeing in the near future