Niels Van Tomme on SOLU's work in 2005:

In productions such as SOLU’s, we don’t see an edited succession of images, but rather ‘image edits’. The succession, the logical continuation, between A, B, and C is gone; instead what we see becomes more of a accumulation of different layers. In this sense, one sees a layer of images that is linked in real time to a subsequent layer, without the transition resulting in a continuous edit.

The result is a type of narrative structure that has a much closer affiliation with the non-linear structure of a medium such as the Internet, than the linear structure of a classic narrative storyline. Moreover, formerly concrete images are abstracted through video processing to such an extent that the resulting images are reduced to white noise. This leads to a fragmented vision on a complex world in which everything happens in the ‘here and now’.

There are almost no recognisable images, not when we are talking about the image as a representation of reality. We see a collection of frames on top of each other, structured, and in that picture we start constructing relations between the different elements – often pixels. In this construction, these relations are even more essential than meaning, because they portray new forms of meaning and new possibilities to create meaning. Perhaps here, we touch upon the essence of the electronic image: an artificial construction, which we assign meaning to through mental processes in which the presence or absence of convention plays a central role.

Solu’s work contains references to pioneers in the field of cinema, such as Eisenstein and Vertov.
Eisenstein’s work is characterised by the meaning and substance he placed in the editing itself, and Vertov created a cinema of alienation through his discontinuous editing, which was more Brechtian in nature
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NATUROLOGY [PERFORMANCE /in progress, 2007]



Naturology is a process which started in August 2007 during my residency at SAT, Montreal. It was presented first time there for a test audience and continues in progress.

This work studies nature using all kinds of visual tools, from HDV camera to Max/Msp/Jitter, resembling a scientific project. Technology becomes a mirror reflecting both the investigator, a human being and the nature, both questioning each other, still fundamentally sharing the same biological source and resources. In this process of investigation "nature" experiences a synthetic transformation.

Naturology has received support from:


KAAMOS [VIDEO, PERFORMANCE, 2007]












A journey into the heart of darkness.
Kaamos is a finnish term for the darkest period of the year in the north, when the light turns into shades of grey and sun is a rare visitor. Two women travel to a spring in the middle of the forest. This spring is known for its magical healing powers, that can cure from blindness. On their return it becomes obvious that the way back home is not what it used to be ...

All images and audio are from Finland.

Video: SOLU
Audio: Circle: Jäljet (Traces)
Kontackto:Mustikkaa Silmissä (Blueberries in the Eyes)
Mika Vainio: Kotiin (On the Way to Home)


DISTRIBUTED BY:


 

RAMSCAPES [PERFORMANCE, 2005-06]





RAMscapes (also sometimes REMscapes) is best descibed as poetic realtime audiovisual journey. From the visual matrix appears stories that talk to us in the language of digital dreams.


Audio provided by dj SOLU.

 

 

CAMP EVENT [PERFORMANCE, 2007]





SOUND: Tobias Kirsten, Fried Dähn
VISUALS:
SOLU

I projected on two opposite walls different visuals with two laptops. The style was minimal and based on texts, lines and figures appearing from the wall. The texts moved around the wall like they were on ledscreens...





SOUND:
Masayuki Akamatsu, Ricardo Caballero, Tobias Kirstein, Mark L. Kysela, Thomas Maos
VISUALS:
Philipp Geist and SOLU

Philipp and I improvised visuals to very short audio sets. we created a panoramicscreen with projectors, projecting images on top of each other, worked wonderfully...

The international Festival CAMP (Creative Arts and Music Project) is an innovative forum and interactive laboratory for soundartists, musicians as well as for artists dealing with video, installation, projections and the new media. It is characteristically marked by experimental and electronic music in convergence with visual disciplines. For several days a selected group of artists, who belong to the international avantgarde in their field, work in a "laboratory of time" on audio - visual projects which will be presented to the public at the final performances.

Invited artists:
masayuki akamatsu, ricardo caballero, fried dähn, friedrich förster, anja füsti, philip geist, paul hubweber, kasumi, tobias kirstein, mark l. kysela, thomas maos, vj oxygen,
solu and sabine weissinger



PUNTO Y RAYA [LIVE AV, 2007]




AUDIO: Raúl Santos (Supercinexcene)

"Punto y Raya" was a collaboration between Rául Santos and Solu. The visuals were to be made using only dots and lines. The performance took place at la Casa Encendida, Madrid in September 2007. More info about the event organized by MAD ACTIONS.

 


THE SCHOOL OF THE HIDDEN DOOR [PERFORMANCE, 2005]



The school of the hidden door was a site-specific performance in collaboration with musician David Dalmazzo, for the art academy "Bellas Artes" in Barcelona. The visuals were projected on a blackboard, which was chalked before the performance in order to have a special texture. The performance was a story of a kamikaze lost in the clouds, having no way forward, nor back, and dealing with his doubts about the ideas he had been tought in his life and the methods of nationalization of a country like Japan.

In a symbolic level this theme was contrasted to the mythological story of Saint George (Bush?) killing the dragon, the symbol for wisdom in the east. As the story goes, Saint George didnt agree to kill the dragon before all the villagers had converted into christianism. Science versus Beliefs.

Special invited guest : Stephanie Vanderdriecche, who recitated a text on the marvels of human being.

The title comes from Bujinkan, where Togakure Ryu (Hidden door) is one of the nine schools of ninjutsu.

SUCH A WHISPER [PERFORMANCE, 2004]


Such a Whisper was a series of audiovisual fairytales created in collaboration with musician Alex Bordanova. Following the tradition of storytelling we used texs, images and sound to interpret the stories. For the first session we chosed texts from Daniil Harms, a russian absurdist writer. The performance was shown in Convent de Sant Agusti, Barcelona.

"On falling into filth, there is only one thing for a man to do: just
fall, without looking round. The important thing is just to do this with
style and energy." DH


For the next session we chosed the texts from the Assassins. The performance was shown in Gijon.

"The Assassins, a medieval Persian sect of esoteric terrorists, founded in 1090 AD by Hasan-i Sabbah "The Old Man of the Mountain" at the Rock of Alamut. Anyone who opposed their secret freethinking propaganda might be rubbed out by a fanatical hit-man. Hasan-i Sabbah built an exquisite garden at Alamut as a lure and reward for his secret agents -- according to legend he gave them hashish before showing them the garden, and told them it was Paradise."

 

 

REMIX: LESLIE THORNTON [PERFORMANCE, 2004]


Audiovisual collaborative performance with musician C.D. (Christian Dergarabedian), based on the audio and videomaterial of the experimental american video artist Leslie Thornton (Peggy and Fred in Hell, a work that has been in process for 17 years).

Commissioned by STITCH & SPLIT-Selves and Territories in Science Fiction organized by CONSTANT at Fundacio Tapies in Barcelona.