Things and Wonders 2022
Things and Wonders 2022 is a series of six episodes in which video artist Anna Vasof toys with our perceptions. As the title forecasts, it is all about small wonders, conjured by Vasof with the help of everyday objects in a most joyously playful and humorous way. On switching her windshield wipers on, God´s index-finger summons the first human to life, loosely based on Adam´s encounter depicted by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. What windshield wipers exactly have to do with Michelangelo should not be divulged in advance: Vasof´s film moments are ultimately also about "wondering" in the sense of being amazed, and every episode includes an "aha!" instant of smiling recognition.
As aptly entitled by the second episode, Vasof also plays a kind of "Intellectual Ping-Pong" with the viewer. The cinematic arrangement of a book and two hands is all it takes to play table tennis in front of the camera.
Sometimes it helps to have some prior knowledge in order to fully appreciate Vasof´s cinematic effects. For instance, freelancers will understand the final episode of the Things and Wonders collection better than others. In "Self-employed Broom" ("Der freiberufliche Besen"), a broom is seen gathering saw-dust which winds up in a plastic bucket dangling from its handle. With each sweeping movement, a portion of sawdust finely spills back onto the floor. Work is never finished for those who are precariously employed, without steady hours and financial security. There is always another invoice to write, another job to cultivate. You need the energy of a Sisyphus to create something beautiful – like Anna Vasof does. (Maya McKechneay)
Things and Wonders 2022
2017
Austria
4 min