melis.s

Habena is a film in three acts that invites the viewer to find the connection between its different parts. The video progresses over a stratified timeframe: in each individual scene, time flows independently, but the sequence of scenes in its entirety describes the transition from what has not yet reached maturity to what is no longer useful, in search of clues that help make this evolution comprehensible. Melis questions whether something in between has occurred. She focuses on those elements which can easily be lost or misunderstood along the way, simply because we tend to concentrate only on the arrival point, the result.

Construction tools and building materials are the protagonists of the first chapter of Habena. These objects, which have not yet reached the ‘maturity’ linked to their function, come to life in a space created by 3-D software. The interlude becomes a testimony which unites the first and last part of the film. It is inspired by the Tsukubai: a natural rock basin present in certain Zen gardens that collects any water which overflows during handwashing.

In the last part of the video, a common object which has completely lost its original function provides information related to the material of which it is composed. By analysing its surface, we are able to understand its provenance. (text by Camilla Compagni)