dir. Elena Muchnaya
Russia 2017
To the creation of this film I’ve been forced by the book “Rites of passage” («Les rites de passage», 1909) by Arnold van Gennep. In this book author describes and analyzes the rites of initiation through which a person goes on throughout their lives. The author uses the term “full rotation” to refer to human transition from state to state, from one quality or social status to another.
The film begins with a chant – a saying of fate. It stretches like a thread in the void. The person grabs this thread and is drawn into the narrative. Next, our hero moves through his story, through a series of acceptances and initiations.
The film was shot in frames of the Siberian Festival of Contact Improvisation at Altay in 2016.
When it comes to organizing, I simply approach friends who trust me enough to go on the next adventure with me, tell them my idea, listen to their suggestions, and we get to work.
In this project I also act as director, cameraman and editor.
Music – “Neither” Morton Feldman.
Director Elena Muchnaya
Elena Muchnaya lives in Novosibirsk (Russia). Independent artist, working in a field of visual art: director, filmmaker, photographer –
teaching and facilitating projects, related with film creation.
Cooperates with different dance festivals, residences and theater groups.
Her work is focused on opening up, discovering, “liminal” or “pure” spaces that shift the viewer’s perception or guide towards clear presence.
Often uses contemporary dance, contact improvisation and voice practices in her works.
In 2001 graduated from the Novosibirsk State Academy of Architecture and Art.
From 2016 to 2019 studied at the Individual Directing Workshop under the guidance of Boris Yukhananov.
Since 2009, within the framework of the Siberian International Festival of Contact Improvisation and Performance at Altay,
curating interdisciplinary projects aimed at exploring the space between movement, video and the environment.
Since 2015, together with A. Omelchenko, facilitating the Art-Continuum Nomadic Residence festival –
a creative experiment, multifaceted research, the process of creating short films and performances.
