Filming The Process

I got a cardigan from a charity shop that I really liked, made out of wool, very warm, full of character. Looking at its details I started to unpick it because it looked so complicated. It was interesting to do it and after a while the process became addictive. By unpicking it I started to think about its previous owner, that it was a well looked after cardigan, that the energy and the smell of the previous owner was still present with it. I could still smell traces of sweet female perfume on it. So after some time I thought about the threads that I started to unpick as being memories and traces of the previous owner.

The cardigan is so collected and well made that when you look closer it is very complicated with all the threads tangled up in a certain way. I imagined myself being the cardigan, being all collected on the outside but very tangled up on the inside. Recently I have been feeling that way. So by unpicking the cardigan it wasn't only interacting with the previous owners energy but also a very therapeutic process for me as it helped me to untangle my thoughts through the process of untangling the cardigan. 

This reflection happened when I decided to film myself unpicking the cardigan up close, zooming in only on my hands doing the unpicking. I did this at the top of university building big spacious balcony, where I was by myself. It was just me, sitting on the chair, cardigan, camera on a tripod in front and the sound of the city and the church bells. It was something special, it helped me to relax by being there alone and doing what I love to do - engage in a repetitive process (and somebodies memories).

 

This is the cardigan

 

The threads that I unpicked

 

Some images of my video and if you want to see the video in full clink here
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I felt very peaceful which was a really nice encouragement for me to carry on exploring this unpicking process. The film was a good way to document the process which otherwise people wouldn't have seen. This is the first film I created which I felt like was going somewhere. What the film did really well is focus on what I wanted to focus on - the hands at work, the process, leaving everything around me out, placing importance on the things that I consider important. The memories.

 

 

I decided to play with the video that I have done on Adobe Premiere. Usually I am not into using different software however I wanted to experiment with it this time. Whilst playing around with it I tried mirroring the video horizontally just to see what will happen. I fell in love with it. Although usually its typical to mirror everything, it looked like it worked and belonged. I turned out a bit hypnotizing and strange. To see it click here

 

 

~Ev