Sea of Instability

Franck Lesbros [フランス]

2017.01.21 - 2017.01.29

Sea of Instability aims to offer a trip over water, with sea as a subject, its variations, its movements, its colors, its whims and changes. The logic of the moving images in my video is informed by my drawing practice, specifically the use of darkness and light. The emphasis on the surface stems from the oriental tradition of drawing.
This video is a succession of changing landscapes, yet unified by one common element - water.
A simple variation in the light, the water’s surface trembling in a breeze, a passing current, an emerging wave, its appearance constantly evolving over time. Tokyo and more largely Japan, is located on three tectonic plates, the fire belt.The sense of the precariousness of human existence has been ingrained in its culture. These are the entry points to the non-descriptive narrative of the video.

Sea of Instability bypasses the metaphoric language and goes straight into poetics.
It is a constructed landscape that depicts the natural disaster and its consequences on humans. Although no humans are depicted, it is about their smallness in relation to the vastness of the natural forces. Tragedy comes when these forces, untamable as they are wiping out humans' endeavors -- hence the pathetic objects are left to float in the storm.
This work is not only about powerlessness - it is about capturing the sea's immense power and its endless possibility of change. Further, it is about humans' response to rebuild in sound and image: to recreate the world is to possess it. Thus understood, the artist’s work is a humble offering for the recovery and a call for peaceful coexistence with nature. It is peace offering to the sea, not its condemnation.

This video is a collaboration with Japanese musicians, Ueno and Saya from the band Tenniscoats. I am always led down paths I had not imagined at the outset. In attempting to create my own cinematic language, associating myself with musicians expands my project.

The miniature dimensions of the sets, decors and installations used for filming come to the fore in the final large-scale projection of the work this shift in scale creates a jarring sense of unreality, of something that hovers between reality and fiction. It gives the viewer the sense of looking at vast spaces, thereby creating imaginary and poetic worlds.

Youkobo_Catalog_2016_12_Franck_Lesbros.pdf

Date	2017.01.21 - 2017.01.29
Time	12:00-19:00（最終日17:00まで）
Place	Studio 1
Website	http://www.francklesbros.com