Open Call

2016
Full HD video, 06‘ 56‘‘ /colour, sound/

Image of a subject exposed to the pressure of competition with hints of institutional critique.

The central figure at an “open video call” is a young artist applying for a position in a film. In the outlined selection process, candidate is to present his own unique scenographic design method based on his study of fungal tissue growth. The candidate attempts to confidently meet requirements and expectations, but the sovereignty of his attitude is distorted by smallish errors revealing uncertainty.

An initial clear line of self-presentation guided by the utilitarian desire to succeed gradually fades into an imaginative passage. A voiceover transitions into a story about an actual fantasy film, which is to be designed by the candidate. The video excerpts imagery from the highly ambitious (and most expensive film in Czech history) Last Children of Aporver, which has not been completed even after ten years.

The video Open Call was created in collaboration with Lucie Rosenfeldová a part of an identically titled exhibition for UM Gallery at The Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. The concept of the exhibition was invented in collaboration with Martina Smutná (author of the painted objects).