03:58 digital and transferred 16mm film, 2021
Positing a moment of flux where identity and form can undergo a shift is the theme of this short film, incorporating sculptural installation, wearables and performance. The film alludes to an engineered environment in which the subject undergoes a physical and/or imaginative metamorphosis.
Inspired by the self-healing capability of snails and their hermaphroditic character the protagonist collects their mucus to fashion a cape. The much sought after secretion is highly prized for its restorative qualities enabling the snail to repair cracks in its fragile armour and is increasingly being harvested to treat damaged human skin, membrane and tissue. While faith is fundamental to protect its transformative power, the act of hand sewing the protective shell is in itself a form of trial, a test of dedication. Considered abject by some, a desire to become snail-like is to defy sexual categorisation and to acknowledge the importance of self-determination.
While human to snail transferrals are the subject of fantasy, the energy required as catalyst to make the leap is garnered from Wilhelm Reich’s experiments in the 1950s and the enclosures reference his Orgone Accumulator. Playing with scale, the snails charge the accumulator which transfers this biological energy to its occupant providing the potential for an activated experience.
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