Tracing Light

Light is a fascinating phenomenon. Without light, there would be no cinema, no film – and no life. So light is at the origin of everything, and yet it remains invisible to the eye until it hits matter. This moment is – quite literally – the starting point of Thomas Riedelsheimer’s latest work, for the springtime spectacle of rainbow shreds in the cinematographer and documentary filmmaker’s flat became the starting point of a search for the origin of the images we form of this world. For this quest he dived deep into two spheres that seem to follow different laws but always strive to fathom the magical: physics and art.

Lemon

Light begins to illuminate the small, nipple-like end of a lemon on the right edge of the frame and gradually spreads until the entire lemon is clearly visible. Then the light recedes across the frame.

The KFC

Five Kiwis take on a paragliding adventure in Tanzania, with the ultimate aim to fly from the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro.

Exploring the Spectrum

An exciting video journey through the world of time-lapse photography by one of the founders of the science of photobiology, Dr. John Nash Ott. Do fluorescent lights cause cancer and childhood learning and behavior disorders? Can long-term exposure to low-level radiation as from TV sets, computers, fluorescent lights, and similar devices harm you? Does living behind window glass and with glasses covering our eyes over years affect our health? Is natural sunlight and trace ultra-violet radiation really harmful? Or is it necessary and beneficial? How do cells, plants, and animals respond to constant exposure to different light color frequencies? These and similar questions were the subjects of Dr. Ott's pioneering investigations in the field of photobiology, using the methods of time-lapse photography.

Soji-ji

Soji-ji (1979) is a video work documenting a chant recitation at a Zen temple. The chant recited by many monks does not proceed in unison like group singing. Each monk recites in sync with his breath, so that the intake of breath occurs at different moments. That is to say, each monk articulates the chant differently. Since there is no unified division, when the multiple chants overlap, an endless wave of chant (sutra) appears as a collective density or modality (at the same time, each monk’s steps form a totally different rhythm from the individual chants).

Luminescência

A thinking about light and how it surrounds our lives.

Les ruines du château de Seyssuel

A study of ruins of a fortified castle placed in the village of Seyssuel during two days of shooting and understanding of the moving light

Mãos Frias

Two hands over a light.

Tree Limbs

A homogeneous structure of wind and light across tree branches in the South region of Isère

Theory of Light

Theory of Light is a documentary centred on the climate emergency through a climate justice lens. It's committed to uplifting the perspectives of communities already being impacted by climate change and representing those who feel excluded from the climate movement.

Le côté obscur de l'ampoule

Feuilles vertes

A study of observation, perceptions and sensations of nature and human interactions from the eye of a digital camera

Chaînes Dorées

A new exploration of familiar places located in the region of Rhône and Isère throught an reinvention of digital nuances, a study of perceptions and fluidity around the nature of motion in landscapes and human interactions.

Fogão a luz

Backed by an echoed horn music, the light passes through a magnifying glass. On the walls, they portrait pans being held on top of a stove.

Luz de América

From the light that falls on the backyard of his house on the day of the equinox without shadow in Quito, and inspired by the "Theory of colors" of Goethe, the director takes us to several cities in America to reflect on the influence that the light has in the understanding of our surroundings.

Samambaia

A computer generated fern follows a modular synthesizer soundtrack.

The Conquest of Light

The film discusses the evolution and potential of using light waves, particularly coherent light, for communication. It highlights the development of lasers at Bell Telephone Laboratories, explaining how they produce a highly controlled and intense beam of light that could revolutionize communication. The film emphasizes the vast possibilities of lasers, including applications in telecommunications, surgery, and exploring the universe, suggesting that this technology represents a significant step in humanity's understanding and use of light.

L'Aqueduc de Seyssuel

Five fragments of observation and sensations during a journey with Gorneton's trail in Seyssuel, Isère. A work-in-progress with sounds, the interest of light and the solitude of a digital camera.

When Forever Dies

An archival fiction feature about the eternal battle of the sexes, in which two star-crossed lovers trapped in a kingdom of shadows fight to keep their love alive as they gradually fall in hate. Their names are Forever Man and Forever Woman. They are embodied by actors and actresses from long-gone eras, but also by cartoon characters and puppet animations. Together they narrate the story of the euphoric ups and tragic downs of human existence. When Forever Dies, a virtuoso collage of film fragments from the Eye Filmmuseum archive, is an epic ode to largely unseen cinema anchored in the polarizing world of today.

My Suicidal Sweetheart

A suicidal comedy about two young lovers who get married and escape from a mental institution in search of new ways to die...and the white light.