Celestial
Celestial – Positioned in or relating to the sky, or outer space; belonging or relating to heaven; supremely good.
Taking the form of an experimental portrait, Celestial is an exploration into changing weather phenomena and mystical representations of the sky. The film features interviews with weather experts, scientists, navigators and cloud lovers, focusing on their perceptions and thoughts of the sky. Visuals include: specifications of cloud formations; time-lapse footage of the sky; extreme weather; planetary activity affecting the sky; celestial navigation at sea; weather monitoring stations and sun-rises/sets.
Snippets of dialogue from interviews are creatively spliced into the pace and rhythm of the film, along with a specially commissioned score including elements of ‘wild-track’ comprised of sounds from weather monitoring equipment, and noises created from the weather itself.
Celestial is a work particularly suited for viewing on outdoor screens, which in this context act as a constructed section of sky, foregrounding the real sky around the screen. The film asks the viewer to look outside of the screen frame, as well as concentrating on the content of the screen. This meditative multi-layered film; weaves together a tapestry of visuals with a conceptual soundscape, highlighting the shifting patterns of the vast canvas of the sky and revealing how this effects our daily lives by changing each minute, hour and day. www.blanchepictures.com
Biography
Esther Johnson (BA, University of London; MA, Royal College of Art) is an artist, filmmaker, photographer and curator. Her award-winning films exhibit globally in festivals, galleries and cinemas, and on television and have also been adapted for radio. Her exploration of documentary forms across a range of media and has been supported by Arts Council England; British Council; Film London; LAFVA; Yorkshire Arts; Skillset; BBC; and National Endowment for the Arts. Johnson curates film programmes and is a Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, and former Director and Curator of Hull Film.
Watch an Extract
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Note that this extract is not a continuous clip from the film but has been edited together from four separate sequences.
The Other Commissions
Perry Bard, 2008:Man with a Movie Camera
Juneau Projects, Honorable Ordinaries
susan pui san lok DIY Ballroom/ Live
