Innovative Curatorial Projects – Paris / SingaporeStefano Canapa
*1977, Turin, Italy. Lives and works in Paris, France.
A cinema laureate, filmmaker, and writer Stefano Canapa is also the creator of several art-film installations. For some time now he has been working with Z.U.R. a group of artists from Angers, France, specializing in art, theatre, and cinema. He is the founder of the Superottomonamour Association, a cinema research laboratory based in Turin. His film Promenaux has been shown in several museums and film festivals including the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris, the ZKM in Karlsruhe, and the Corto Circuito in Naples.
Promenaux / France-Italy / 2001 / 11'20 / 4:3
Despite the stress and anguish associated with living in the city, as a place it remains a inexhaustible source of inspiration for those who take the time to walk around and observe. Here Stefano Canapa delivers a poetic panorama of Paris with his short film, Promenaux.
The film-maker takes us on foot, via metro, and bus through the city of light to capture some unique images. At first it’s just a take on reality, a game of observation amongst an anonymous crowd. Then it’s a strange night fall with words from Rimbaud with the search for new images becoming primordial. In the morning we discover a fascinating reality, a space without limits, fluctuating in a dreamlike state.
Time seems suspended in this work of art that wavers between documentary and private diary. It’s a subtle study, in black and white, of the actions and behaviors that have no purpose beyond their presence. An original soundtrack contributes to the successful impression of a sleepwalk through Paris.