On the instrumental nature of objects

["The meaning of theatre lies in restraint. The most important things is to leave your statements incomplete, suspended. I treat an object like a thought. Like a picture. I am very cautious not to exaggerate. I want to extract from an object enough of what makes it alive on stage"]

Benas Sarka and his Gliuku Theatre, again: this time with another fine sequence from A Gu Gu, absolutely the best performance during SpacingOut. View Sam Renseiw's quite close encounter with Benas' sharp cutlery by clicking here, or enter the set-up by mousing in above. (patafilm # 267, 04'06'', 19 MB, Quicktime/mov - Streaming Flash version for PC at Blip.tv)

The beginning of spacing-out

"The time scale of the universe is very long compared to that for human life. It was therefore not surprising that until recently, the universe was thought to be essentially static, and unchanging in time. On the other hand, it must have been obvious, that society is evolving in culture and technology. This indicates that the present phase of human history can not have been going for more than a few thousand years."

Remembering a lecture by Stephen Hawking, Sam Renseiw recorded a different universe, unfolding to the gaze, before yet another lecture, starting the SpacingOut. Enjoy the ambient footage by clicking here or join the crowd by mousing in above.(patafilm # 265, 01'20'', 5.8 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version for PC here)

On the art of besouling buildings

"In Schelling's conception, God develops in nature from an original potentiality. Schelling also calls this basic force 'the pure subject-object,' or the objective subject-object, which means the same as Natura naturans or the world-soul. In his address "On the Relation of the Creative Arts to Nature", Schelling says, that nature is "to the spirited researcher alone, the holy, the eternally creative original force of the world which produces all things out of itself and brings forth faith-fully".

"If only one's self can know what it is like to be oneself, the occupational therapist needs new approaches to best come in contact with the selvesof others. This is an 'art of equilibrium', a therapeutic balance act ", Sam Renseiw reflected, quoting one of the Pantertanters, while recording Berit N.'s forceful but gentle demand to besoul the buildings. View the quick visual mash-up by clicking here or tower in above. (patafilm # 264, 00'49'', 3.7 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version for PC available here)

Yet another 39 Steps

Staircases appear frequently in Hitchcock's films, from the beginning (or before the beginning, in his 1925 set design for The Blackguard) to the end (the final shots of Family Plot, 1976). The opening shot of the first Hitchcock-directed movie, The Pleasure Garden, also features a spiral staircase with chorus girls descending.

Following a gorgeous Norwegian girl with green suede boots up some flights of stairs in a cement factory, Sam Renseiw experienced an uncanny deja-vu, with a slight touch of Rimini-Protokoll. View the steep ascent by clicking here or shovel in above. (patafilm # 262, 01'52'', 8.4 MB, Quicktime/mov - Streaming Flash version for PC here)

An other dance piece

"Many regional sounds of disco developed during the mid-1970s, as a result of collaborative efforts of many individuals with a legacy of formal education and training in music theory and orchestration, thus laying the foundation for the musical genre that was to burst forth onto the dance-music scene, into what would come to be regarded as designer music."

No designer music here, just plain fun to older tunes. View Sam Renseiw's moving gaze while on the dance floor by clicking here, or mouse in on the silhouette above. (patafilm #261,00'59'' 4.4 MB, Quicktime/mov - Streaming Flash version for PC here)

The perception of the body

" Benoit Lachambre’s approach to teaching dance involves the unveiling of the body’s sensory patterns. He reveals how the senses respond to the energy patterns present whenever the body experiences movement, the body’s consciousness of its own role as witness of its own existence, and the perception of the body as the recipient of multiple perspectives. Through this realization,a working model develops, that links external experience to a deep psychomotor process, as well as creativity to a method, a technique."

As all SpacingOut has an end, Sam Renseiw followed Myriam van Imschoot, Benoit Lachambre and other workshopers to a short, informal and friendly chill-out at the shores of river Neris. View the inprovised moves by clicking here or mouse in on the shore above. (patafilm # 260, 01'02'', 4.4 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash streaming version for PC available here) More glimpses from SpacingOut - in inverted chronology - to appear on spacetwo : patalab in the following week.

A Gu Gu

"The releaving program poverty and naivety of Benas Sarka’s sublime theatre has a flavour of fairs, the paintings of Rousseau and Pirosmani, and ‘bread and puppets’ by Peter Schuman. The images of Sarka’s performance “A Gu Gu” (based on the texts of the famous Lithuanian poet and writer Grajauskas) can be perceived as a return to the lost paradise of children’s games This area of “naïve time” is unheard of in the professional theatre. Where a professional “performs”, Sarka just plays his game. In this theatre “what” is more important than “how”.

Spacing Out in Vilnius, Sam Renseiw caught a short glimpse of Sarka's A GuGu. Yes: "Poetry lives in between words, and needs space to move". Click here to expand the image, or mouse in on the animal above. More from Benas, Spacing out and Sirenos to come here over the next days. (patafilm #259, 12,4 MB. 02'40, Quicktime/mov - Flash version for PC available here)

Change of tracks (momentary)

Ahh! Equipped with a brand new toy (K750i), Sam Renseiw is off to some more vlogging experiments next week, from a yet undisclosed location. Rejoice! To view the trailer, click here, or mouse in on the maxim above. - More from seven tales of misery also to come before the end of the month, for those interested. (patafilm # 258, 00'26'', 2.2 MB, Quicktime/mov - Streaming Flash version for PC at Blip.tv)

The southern runaway sister

["The Lady America are runaway sisters, bull riding beauties and little girls lost. They are the most admired of women but they are prone to sickness and doubt."]

Some more footage of Seven Tales of Misery; This time, with Sam Renseiw meeting Lady America(South), entertaining some guest , leafing through magazines, waiting for Godot. View the encounter by clicking here or enter the meeting by mousing in above. (patafilm # 255, 01'36'', 7.4 MB, Quicktime/mov - Streaming Flash version for PC here)

Whispers

"In the autumn and winter of 2004-2005, British artist Ian McKeever visited the study collection of antique portraits and other sculptures at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. These visits resulted in a series of 48 drawings. The drawings are an attempt to reach through time and touch Antiquity. Dealing with the antique figure they are concerned with what we recognise: when do lines, forms and mass emerge and become present for us as a picture, a face or a body?"

After a hefty serving of misery, an excursion to the sublime. A subdued, slow intermezzo. View Sam Renseiw's return to blur by clicking here or enter the semiotic space above. (patafilm # 257, 01'06'', 4.8 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version web streamed for PC at Blip.tv)

Lady Africa is a heroine

["Lady Africa is a heroine of silent resistance with bounteous bosoms of comforting tenderness. Her constitution is strong but her sacrifices are endless. Her pain is a stab deep into the aorta of the Earth."]

On his expedition to the depths of the African continent, recording more misery, Sam Renseiw was introduced to Lady and Queen Africa, never meeting Stanley. View the outcome by clicking here or enter the small hut on the left above. (patafim #254, 01'42''. 7.9 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version for PC available here)

A visit to Arctica

["God and the world depend on Lady Arctica, the keeper of the poles. We beg for her to rest undisturbed and we hurt with every poisoned drop she cries"]

A visit to the poles can be quite an arduous undertaking. Sam Renseiw managed to carry an intimate double conversation with both Lady and Prinsess Arctica, reverberating tales of Misery. An excerpt of which can be viewed by clicking here or by entering the space above. ( patafilm # 253, 02'47'', 12.9 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version for PC as webstream available here)

The coffee break

"But Agent Cooper likes his coffee black." She continued to run her fingers along the cup. After a few seconds, she said, "Can I ask you something?"

Indeed there is Misery in the world. Anita's service, although eminent and cool, resulted in a lukewarm brew. View Sam Renseiw's attempt to emulate a "dam' good cup of coffe" in a Twin Peaks situation at the bar by clicking here, or ask Anita for a nice cuppa tea from the thermo above. (patafilm # 251, 01'40'', 7.5 MB, Quicktime/mov -Flash version for PC here)

Lady Russia's dog

["Lady Russia is a worker and a mother. She combines strength and persistence with gentleness and delicacy, her beauty is gained through hard times and privations"]

Entering just after a vicious fight between Lady R and Queen R - some differences about a dog, seemingly - Sam Renseiw captured the ensuing mood and the characters present. View the Queen play the piano while singing a Russian song by clicking here, or taste the borsch on the table above. (patafilm #252, 02'25'', 11MB, Quicktime/mov -Flash version at Blip.tv)

The virtues of Lady Asia

["I much admire the virtues of Lady Asia - her graceful movement and faithful nature. Though her oriental eyes are rimmed with the bitter tears of millions, her procelain skin has never lost its glow. Her lonely cries remain unheard deep inside the lush Tropics."]

Der Prinz's words. From inside the velvet, dilapidated corridor, populated with fleeting misery, Sam Renseiw had a first, short, but moving encounter with Lady Asia, living in the House. View the meeting by clicking here or caress her cheekbones above with your mouse. (patafilm # 250, 00'52'' 3.8 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version for PC available at Blip.tv)

There are many kinds of misery

["But as I came down from the mountains, I saw a brutal Misery. God is out of balance. From above as from below. With great effort and dedication, my followers will alter this House to create an embodiment of our Earth."]

Thus spoke der Prinz vom Traunstein. To further this insight, Sam Renseiw visited the House and asked for informative guidance at The Sailor's office. Hear her wise words and admire her gentle but strict composure by clicking here or or wait for your turn for clarifications in front of the desk above. (patafilm # 249, 01'09'' 5 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version for PC available here)

The tears of der Prinz

[" I am der Prinz von Traunstein, born into this world by the mountains of that name. Once, this mountain arose as a result of pressures exerting on sediments. Therefore, they say I am the offspring of original life on Earth. I have been raised by stones and blood, and I have seen God"]

Avid follower of der Prinz and Lady Law, Sam Renseiw got a first taste of the Seven Tales of Misery. View the melodious and balanced chanting at a moving short ritual by clicking here or touch the altar above. (patafilm #248, 01'48'', 9.7 MB, Mp4 - Flash version at Blip.tv)

On vertical interference in somersaults

The flying trapeze act was invented by Jules Leotard, a French gymnast at the Cirque Napoleon in Paris in 1859 but acrobats and tumblers had performed tricks on a slack rope before at 18th century fairs. Leotard's act was called La Course aux Trapèze and consisted of two separate trapezes which he would set swinging, then jump from one trapeze to the other. He later developed the act to include turning a somersault when jumping between the two trapezes.

"Might be a matter of calibration" mused Sam Renseiw thinking about the visual vertical interference, while noticing that Mr.Glavatski had a strange resemblance with Jules Leotard, whose physiognomy he only knew from dated photographs. Investigate this uncanny double by clicking here, or jump in the high set-up above. (patafilm #247, 01'31'', 6.9 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version at Blip.tv)

The invisible maze

"Like a proverbial mad inventor, Jeppe Hein has created an invisible maze that only materialises as one move in it. Visitors are equipped with a set of digital headphones operated by infrared rays causing them to vibrate every time one bumps into one of the maze's virtual walls "

Missing the official opening of Mette Maersk's Piccolo Totale at Brandts in Odense, Sam Renseiw somehow got lost in the maze in Copenhagen. View a short test walk with vibrating buzz from the minimalist, spectacular playground by clicking here, or enter the crowded venue above. (patafilm #246, 01'14'', 5.8 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version here)

copenhagenfridaynightskate 5

And once more : Friday night, skating time. Full speed ahead, blast the torpedoes... Flow and traffic as usual kindly bolstered by the arduous work from the speedy and attentive blockers. Great weather this time, sinuous route with mostly great asphalt. Copenhagen urbanity explored sensuously, middle of the road way.

View Sam Renseiw's compilation of Friday's footage by clicking here or join the crowd above with your mouse.( classicvlog #7, 05'05'', 23.6 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version for PC hosted at Blip.tv) And: Yo! PC folks >notice the free Quicktime download button for Windows on the right.

Miss X's underlying dream

With refined designs somewhere between kitsch,SM and punk, British lingerie firm Agent Provocateur stages lovely Kate Moss as Miss X in challenging hip hosiery in the first of a just released internet video by Hollywood director Mike Figgs. Three more film noir videos with Miss X will subsequently be released the next months on the web.

Intrigued by Miss X's first dream, Sam Renseiw set out to probe the underlying visuality of the matter, uncovering some of Kate Moss inner imagery, somehow overlooked by Figgs. View this remarkable video, featuring rare glimpses of Vivienne Westwood and Malcom McLaren, by clicking here, or mouse the garter on the thighs above. (patafilm #245, 02'04'', 9.4 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version at Blip.tv)

Almost intellectual montage

" While Eisenstein was proudest of his “invention” of intellectual montage in the parallel bloodbaths in Strike! (1924), what most endures about his work is his mastery of the editing techniques he identified as metric, rhythmic, tonal and over-tonal in “Methods of Montage”. In his view, editing involved the audience more than the passive reception of information from static and lengthy shots."

"Just adding a bit of suspense", retorted Sam Renseiw editing a banal shot of a window painter, mashed-up in the usual Lumière train arrival at a station. "That's where the ideas come from". View the montage by clicking here or mouse in on the scaffold above. (patafilm #242, 01'12'', 5.5 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version generously hosted at Blip.tv)

Hill climb

Racing historic cars at hill climbs in Denmark can be a a somewhat subdued experience, as the highset point on the island of Fynen is 131 m. above sea level. At the recent Fyn Hill Climb, a variety of 40 beautiful vintage cars participated, in an exiting race day in mostly wet and windy weather.

Sam Renseiw only caught a short glimpse of a more mundane Fiat passing by, and then climbed the Great Belt Bridge back home to Sealand. View the episode by clicking here or mouse in on the road above. (patafilm # 244, 01'06'', 5.6 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version here)

Touching hearplay

The theremin is one of the earliest fully electronic musical instruments. Invented in 1919 by Russian Léon Theremin, the instrument is unusual in that it requires no physical contact in order to produce music and was, in fact, the first musical instrument designed to be played without being touched. The instrument consists of an array of circuitry including two antennas around which the user moves his or her hands to play.

A Pro Forma play, re-staged for only 3 performances. Short, prolonged and touching non-theremin glimpses by Sam Rensiew muse about the nature of the digital. Sometimes, it's just analog or electronic. View it by clicking here, or enter the tension field above.(patafilm # 243, 01'48'', 7.8 MB, Quicktime/mov - Flash version at Blip.tv) A previous performance, by theremin virtuoso Lydia Kavina, can be viewed by clicking here or in the patalab archive, Aug.2005.