On February 12th, 2005, The Gates, a public art project created by artists Christo and Jean-Claude, offered a visual transformation of the New York City skyline. The paths of Central Park featured a vivid collection of saffron colored supports and banners. The billowing flags provided a noticeable complement to the bleak winter landscape. As a consequence, the hurried pace of the average city walker was slowed by an unusual occurrence of pause and reflection.
Saffron Mourning is an exploration of contrasting metaphors and sensibilities. The film illuminates a passionate canvas of color in combination with the dreary backdrop of winter. The waves of flowing saffron offer an array of potential emotions, including pleasure, happiness, and bliss. Conversely, the ripples of frost and shadow hint at an obscure outcome for the strolling participants.
In order to develop a symbolic connection between color and shadow, Saffron Mourning introduces two unnamed protagonists. The experimental nature of the project departs from traditional conventions of narrative structure. The characters do not engage in dialogue. There are no recognizable plot points or outcomes. The in-camera editing emphasizes the inability to control time as moments flash from one scenario to the next. Overall, the uncertainty of their encounter illustrates the presence of an objective correlative, an instance where the surrounding environment provides space for thematic and emotional interpretation. Accordingly, if we continue to observe the couple along this ambiguous path, the viewer may witness a narrative that ends in fulfillment or desolation.
“We are trying to invent a module to activate the most banal space between your feet and the first branches of the trees. You usually walk on the walkways of the park, looking at trees, looking at people, but you have a space between your feet and the branches hanging over the walkways or just near the walkways. We are trying to energize that space." - Christo
SCREENINGS
Mientras tanto CINE
Maldonado, Uruguay. 2022
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Experiments in Cinema 17.2
Virtual Edition, 2022
MoMA: New York City Symphonies of the Millennium Film Workshop
New York, New York. 2022
74th University Film & Video Association (UFVA) Conference
Virtual Edition, 2020
