OFRENDA

by Claudio CALDINI
1978 / Super 8mm / color / sound / 1S / 2' 23

A moment of devotion expressed by intense speed of variation in contrast to the fragility of the motive. The continuity of shapes and light produces a choreographic illusion.

"Someone once asked me what was indeterminate or fortuitous in the capture of a sequence of images. The Plant Kingdom, with its multiplication of simple forms, is invoked to provide an explantation. A succession of points of view and the details of a bush in full bloom are photographed frame by frame: a culminating cycle of daisies. In every shot the position of the camera, the frame, the focal distance and the focus are corrected. The continuity of forms and the relationship between dimensions produces a choreographic illusion. We were not trying to recreate movement, but rather to stop it, to produce static continuity between what were, themselves, different shots. With the diaphragm fixed, we continued taking photographs at a regular speed (there are approximately 3,300 frames); the diminishing sunlight results in a slow and prolonged fade-out. The white petals remain visible on the exposed film for longer than the rest of the image, like on a retina when we close our eyes. Time seems to have been suspended. Suddenly, a surprise: the pane on neighboring building reflects the last ray of sun on our field of action and vision. In the midst of this bluish, almost nocturnal, intermittence, everything turns to gold."
-Claudio Cladini.

1 PRINT IN DISTRIBUTION


distribution format Digital file on server (FHD)
screen 4/3 (single screen)
speed 24 fps
sound sound
rental fee 34,00 €