It’s just that I don’t like anyone touching me

March 9, 2012

Austrian-born, London-based artist Ursula Mayer has presented her latest film GONDA in Juliette Jongma gallery in Amsterdam, featuring Dutch model Valentijn de Hingh. The film is displayed in a constant loop, which is basically a signifier for the film itself, which in a sense is a series of ‘kaleidoscopic spaces’: images, texts and sounds are constantly repeated, shifting position, disrupting the cinematic space.

The script for the movie, which was written by Maria Fusco, was developed from a series of interdisciplinary workshops, which included academics, curators, critics and writers and addressed the 1934 play ‘Ideal’ by controversial Russian-American writer Ayn Rand.

The play took an anti-altruistic and individualistic position: Ideal’s main character, Kay Gonda, fakes her own charge with murder. On the run from the police, she seeks refuge in the homes of six of her fans, to see if one of them will risk their life to protect her.

Gonda takes on a counter position, experimenting with the cinematic narrative by means of the aforementioned kaleidoscope spaces, among which is a polyphonic voice-over by the Dutch model Valentijn de Hingh.

Sentences are constantly repeating until in a manner that becomes haunting. “No, it’s not mine. I don’t understand why it ended up in my basket.” “It’s just that – I don’t like anyone touching me.”

The film is adressing several issues of gender, ethics and of cinema itself; emphasizing why spectatorship is still the point of friction in these issues. These questions are accompanied by highly stylized imagery, such as shots of De Hingh running through a seemingly post-apocalyptic landscape (shot on The Edna) in a shimmering golden metallic scale dress by Gareth Pugh.

Other shots feature The Hingh and a boy covered in coloured powder, struggling and fighting. Translucent frames of semi-precious stones are mixed in, to make it appear as if the two are in a cave. These images are combined with takes of De Hingh and the other performers dwelling in a stage-like space, as well as preparing for group portraits mocking fashion ads by brands such as Hilfiger.

All in all the film is haunting collage of beautiful imagery as well as academic/philosophical content, which should be suitable for lovers of fashion as well academics and avant-garde film fanatics.

Gonda screenings:

Juliette Jongma gallery, Amsterdam: until April 7
Whitechapel Art Gallery, London: Thursday 12 April, 7pm