Art film “NEITHER/NOR”

“NEITHER/NOR” is an art film production by CreativeMeaning for the Australian artist Danius Kesminas. Commissioned by The Factory of Art & Design of Copenhagen (Fabrikken) and International Art Space (IAS), we produce an undisclosed artwork by the Australian visual artist Danius Kesminas. The artwork was a film production inspired by EITHER/OR, one of the significant works of the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard.

Either/Or

The book, published in 1843, “portrays two life views (…); the aesthetic life view is written in short essay form, with poetic imagery and allusions, discussing aesthetic topics such as music, seduction, drama, and beauty. The ethical life view is written as two long letters, with more argumentative and restrained prose, discussing moral responsibility, critical reflection, and marriage”. In dialog with the artist, we decided to point out elements from Kierkegaard’s existentialist thinking in a visually poetic approach and with Copenhagen as the point of departure.

Kierkegaard was known for his walking routes around Copenhagen and his love for the city. Kierkegaard’s famous reflective walks through the city of Copenhagen were the base for the storyline, colored by his emotional contradictions. Centralized by the protagonist figure played by the artist (Kesminas) recreating Kierkegaard’s character, the storyline takes the viewer on a journey of reflection and dualities. Aesthetically the resulting film was a graphic visual narrative in a noir comic book style.

Conceptual background

Inspired by Søren Kierkegaard’s piece, questions about the binary connection between aesthetics and ethics coincide with Kesminas’ experience. As an artist at studio residency in Copenhagen, Kesminas constantly moves between the artist’s studio (the safe, creative space of aesthetics) and the city (the unpredictable urban society influenced by socio-political conditions, including ethics). As in Hermann Hesse’s The Glass Bead Game, it is possible, in this connection, to question the “bubble” created around the intellectual art world, which disconnects it from the real world outside. Danius Kesminas’ new artwork NEITHER/NOR stimulates several cross-connections, a freestyle energetic way, and multi-media expressions, creating an artistic comment on the dualistic settings in our society. As in several previous projects, Kesminas deliberately crosses the borders between styles, artistic expressions, social layers, generations, and spaces.

The artwork NEITHER/NOR will underline his powerful way of understanding dualism in his unique artistic style, full of contrasts between subculture and popular culture. Creativemeaning produces the concept, storyline, storyboard, location scouting, executive production, filming, and editing almost simultaneously. The intensity of the project gave the creative process a strong focus. We were cutting through compelling and daring ideas and tightening our project management process, coordination, and teamwork. And last but not least, the beautiful camera work and editing by our videographer Yoandry Gonzalez.

The leading West Australian arts organization, International Art Space (IAS), financed the film, the has now been released and exhibited in Australia, Indonesia, and Denmark.

Neither / Nor