Red Mill | Esther Urlus | 4 – 17 May
Red Mill is a research into motion picture printing techniques. Starting point and inspiration for the film are Piet Mondriaan’s mill paintings, especially De Rode Molen. Mondriaan was well-known for his use of contrasting colors, and places his vibrant red mill against a bright blue background for optimal color effect. In the film, color is created and transformed through multiple exposures by using different masks during printing. Depending on which developing process is used, the colors mix in two ways: additive or subtractive, creating a wide range of colors on screen.
Journalist Niels Bakker describes her oeuvre in Filmkrant, the Dutch film newspaper, as follows: “Urlus is a descendent from Stan Brakhage, who seems to aspire self-examination at first sight, towards the essence of the medium.” A very apt lineage to entitle her, as she has equally immersed herself in the medium, always researching and pushing its boundaries to see where she can make even more space for experimental discoveries, creating true gems along the way.
16mm to 35mm, 2013, 5’15 min
Sound: Matt Kemp
BIO Esther Urlus (b. 1966) is a Rotterdam-based artist working with motion picture film formats Super8, 16mm and 35mm. Resulting in films, performances and installations, her works always arise from DIY methods. Kneading the material, by trial, error and (re) inventing, she creates new work. Urlus is the founder of WORM Filmwerkplaats, an artist-run workspace dedicated to motion picture film as an artistic, expressive medium. Her work has been exhibited and screened at film festivals worldwide, among other 25FPS festival Zagreb, Oberhausen Short Film Festival, Sonic Acts, and the International Film Festival Rotterdam.