Think of your favourite haiku. Three simple lines, seventeen short syllables that somehow capture the depth of a specific moment in time or an emotion that resonates with your soul.
It is this powerful simplicity in the structure and impact of a haiku that inspires Ilan Derech’s cinematic work. Translating the idea of three lines of a haiku into three panels of the work, each which presents a different angle or vision of a specific moment in time, and transposing the idea of 17 syllables into a video duration of 17 seconds, the artist transfigures the rhythm and timing of poetry into cinematic form.
It is this powerful simplicity in the structure and impact of a haiku that inspires Ilan Derech’s cinematic work. Translating the idea of three lines of a haiku into three panels of the work, each which presents a different angle or vision of a specific moment in time, and transposing the idea of 17 syllables into a video duration of 17 seconds, the artist transfigures the rhythm and timing of poetry into cinematic form.
Beyond this structural point of interest is also the depth of emotion that the artist imbues into his work. By slowing down the pace of time, and intentionally presenting different points of view of a specific moment or geographical location, Ilan Derech encourages the viewer to breathe in every moment and aspect of daily life. The artist romanticises the mundane, capturing the pace of city-dwellers bustling around Tokyo on a rainy night, a sea of umbrellas sheltering them as they make the commute home; or the delicate flicker of a candle flame in a Kyoto temple, providing its humble warmth as a crisp, golden autumn falls upon the land. By elongating the time spent with these otherwise fleeting occurrences, Ilan Derech focusses his appreciation of these small moments and shares them with the viewer. Much like a haiku, short and sweet, that communicates a powerful visual image in its simplicity, so too do the works of Ilan Derech zone in on a specific moment and emotion, to amplify the impact of his visual poetry.
Introduction by Curator Vienna Kim
Introduction by Curator Vienna Kim
Featured Pieces: