Ben Rivers ‘Earth Needs More Magicians’

Camden Arts Center 19.11.15

The pieces shown in the exhibition were a mixture of abstract documentation of intimate lives and retrospectives on changing landscapes. The films have a certain delicate and calm atmosphere.

In the editing process of my short film the style was very inspired by the framing used in ‘Ah, Liberty’ (which the artist has written a book all about the process and concepts, which I am interested in reading). I loved the strange wide angled dimensions . The film was shot in black and white 16mm film camera. This brought an illusion of the past and alienation to the piece even though it was shot in 2008. The film was centered around a farm in Scottish Highlands with rampant children in masks and men driving in cars without doors.

This piece might be where my interest in using masks as a theme slowly came into fruition.

‘There Is A Happy Land Further Away’ 2015