Trial and tribulation can be catalysts for creativity.
Our time in isolation and quarantine has shown us this in spades. Some of the most unique and inspired projects have been conceived and born during our time in isolation conditions.
The latest creation to mesmerise us is a short film called Slow. Creator Duc Thinh Dong developed the idea for the project with collaborator and choreographer for Sydney Dance Company Davide Di Giovanni. It was then directed and filmed over video call.
Watch the film below or read on for the conceptualisation behind this film.
Slow from RUSSH Magazine on Vimeo.
"Davide and I created Slow, our short dance film during the quarantine period earlier this year - if anything to serve as a historical document of the times we were living in.
"It began as a project born out of a desire to remain creative during the lockdown, directing the dancers over video call and working through all the limitations of being immobile. Through this process, seeing the dancers translate something that we were all feeling, it became a very emotional experience. It brought my awareness to how fast everything had been moving prior to the pandemic with all the deadlines, rush edits and endless deliverables. It was a great privilege to have the time to slow down and be reminded of the joy in making films.
"I feel as though my approach to creativity has changed completely and that’s so exciting. We collaborated with Monty Callaghan to create the music for this. The dancers weren’t dancing to anything specifically and the film was completely silent when we sent it to Monty to score. His interpretation of it reflected the mood completely," said creator Duc Thinh Dong.
Of the choreography, Di Giovanni said: "I wanted to elevate the idea of loosening the energy inside our bodies and explore how each muscle react, fight, embrace this feeling especially when in a limited space, where light could be the only connection with the outside.
"Slow is the main word to describe something fragile and delicate. But powerful and magical.
"Small moves restrictive in opposition to large long and elevated.
"Like water dripping on our skin, flowing all over it.
Like light shooting our bodies, recharging them."
