Films on Loop Programme

Lifting by Louisa Babari, 2009 

Algeria

25 min 

Courtesy of Rhizome, Algiers

The casting of nets on a Greek fishing boat in the Dodecanese evokes the magnitude of the Mediterranean Sea. As a passenger on lone the boat, the work of the artist Nunzio is superimposed on that of the fishermen. Two women and a child share their journey. A work of art, a visceral link with the laborious and solitary work of fishing, the matrix sea allows us to meditate on the condition of the self. The visions and dreams of the passengers give rise to a silent, introspective voyage of the sea, interrupted only by the sound of machinery.  

Nunzio was born in Abruzzo, Italy, in 1954, and is a member of the New Roman School, which includes artists such as Pizzi Canella, Tirelli, Dessi and Gallo. In 1986, he won the Duemila prize for best young artist at the Venice Biennale.

Bird watching by Stelios Kallinikou, 2023 

Cyprus

7 min 40 sec  

Courtoisie de l’artiste

The British Sovereign Base Area of Akrotiri is a space suspended between manifold complex narratives. Within its landscape, British military facilities intersect with a wetland of incredible biodiversity, crucial for the broader Eastern Mediterranean region. While thousands of migratory birds use the area as a temporary home, the British base monitors—and often influences—the flow of political developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. Bird watching reflects on the relationship between people, animals, and the environment in the context of ongoing processes of colonisation and extinction.

Video Study (I WILL FOLLOW THE SHIP) by Matthew Attard 

Malta

1 min 40 sec 

Courtesy of Galleria Michela Rizzo

The video piece, derived from "I WILL FOLLOW THE SHIP," delves into the intersection of historically-etched ship graffiti, contemporary drawing, and digital technology. It explores the symbolism embedded in the 'ex-voto' ship graffiti dating from the late 15th to the 19th centuries, which narrate stories of blind faith and salvation across the Mediterranean. These maritime images, adorning the walls of wayside chapels throughout the Maltese Islands, are ephemeral traces expressing hope, fears, faith. By examining historical imagery as a way of drawing with the eye movement data of the eye-tracking device, Attard prompts reflections on authorship and our contemporary reliance on digital technology. He underscores how historical visual narratives endure in the digital era, conveying messages of hope and resilience. Attard seeks to reinterpret the metaphors and meanings inherent in the historical ship graffiti, while questioning our future and our unwavering trust in digital technology, including AI processes.