Vargtimmen – After a Scene by Ingmar Bergmann

Date: 2010
Length: 06:20 min.
Format:  16:9
Specification: Black and White, Sound

Shot by shot, Georg Tiller and his camera man Claudio Pfeiffer have reconstructed the dramatic child murder scene from Ingmar Bergmann’s 1968 “Vargstimmen” (“The Hour of the Wolf”). In black and white, the viewer sees the sea and its sharp cliffs, the horizon and the soft, rippling surface of the deep waters. The camera’s motion and framing reference and exactly mimic those of its famous predecessor, the essential difference being that no actors are to be seen.
The shots are accompanied by the original soundtrack by Lars Johan Werle. The work makes the viewer aware of the film’s projection screen, its film noir stylings and the moment of reception. Although the camera movement and the music provide a certain narration, the absence of actors and language opens up the meaning. Thanks to this reconstruction, the stylistic elements, representation and the context of the observer – their observations and experiences – represent not only formative elements of the film, but also offer new possibilities of interpretation.
LH

Interview:

► 1. Your video has been chosen among over 1700 festival entries to participate in Videonale 13. How central is the video medium to your overall artistic production? Is it complimentary to other media you use or do you work exclusively with video?

The first sentence, of course, raises the question whether video art is more exclusive than other art forms. Or is it on average does not exclude more than other art disciplines? Is there a medium that is more inclusive? If so, that would be the medium of my preference.

► 2. Is there a particular theme, concept or problem your art addresses the most?

Recently I’m mostly involved in the idea of how reality can be represented in the cinematic medium. What is realism in cinema and what are the realities of production while one is addressing these issues?

► 3. What artists do you relate to or find significant for your own art-making?

Artists that don’t shy away from making fools of themselves, who constantly question their own form and don’t make a fortress around their own set of rules.

► 4. Do you think the video medium can address social or political issues better than other art media?

No. Every social or political situation requires it’s own form or medium. The big advantage of video is that it can very easily function as a document (thus it can be easier placed and reproduced into the collective archives than other forms).

► 5. Art can be seen as a mirror that registers and reflects life or as a tool that transforms it. Which of the two positions is close to your own art-making philosophy?

Personally, I think these two notions are inseparably linked to each other.

► 6. How do you understand success in an art-making career?

When I can pursue my work without having to rely on other means to earn my living (thus I’m far away from success).

► 7. What is the most difficult and the most rewarding thing about making art / being an artist?

Don’t loose your integrity.

Being loved by your fellow peers

► 8. What are your upcoming projects?

I’m working on a new fiction film that is based on a short story with the title „Inside the Sandwich hotel“ written by a Sudanese Immigrant who has lived on a small island in Sweden for the past 30 years and on an essay film that deals with psychogeographical implications of crime scene photography in Mexico City.

► 9. What do you do when you don't make art?

There is no free time for artists.