Ria Pacquée is a keen observer of public life. In As long as I see birds flying I know I am alive, she brings together a collection of recordings she made during her travels and walks in Paris, Kathmandu, Athens, Istanbul, Bruges, New York, Varanasi and Antwerp.
By juxtaposing images of the sacred with those of a very worldly nature she undercuts the anthropological, scientific potential of her material - a disorienting strategy often used by Pacquée. Two recurring elements, clouds of drifting smoke and prowling birds, evoke a dreamlike and looming atmosphere which makes even the most common gesture appear as being part of an age-old ritual.
The film was screened or exhibited at:
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Visite Film Festival, Antwerpen (BE) 2018
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ARGOS, TV4 online screening, 26 June 2020
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A River Waits Reply: ARGOS (Brussels), Gasworks (London), Kadist (San Francisco & Paris), MOCA (Toronto), Museo Tamayo (Mexico City), Para Site (Hong Kong), Pivô (São Paulo), online screening, 20 - 27 October 2020
Credits:
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Produced by Escautville
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Cinematography and Editing: Ria Pacquée
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Sound: Rufus Michielsen
As Long As I See Birds Flying I Know I Am Alive, 2015 | excerpt
WARNING: Graphic video, content might shock, offend and upset