VOSTOK

"In 2012, I was surprised at the news that Russia’s VOSTOK science station, located in the Antarctic, had succeeded in taking samples from a lake located at a depth of 4km under ice, 'time capsules' from the time the Antarctic continent began to freeze. This actual fact provided the inspiration for the creation of the VOSTOK project.

VOSTOK is a multiple media project involving a book, a film, a music album (LP) and a cine-performance, and it explores the underwater life in the South Pole, the subpolar lakes, the pre-glacial age and the moons of Jupiter. Each of the project’s pieces deals with different aspects of the same fictional universe, creating a complex relationship among the narrative elements in the story and in the very artistic process that composes the epic set in Vostok. 

The 8-minute film VOSTOK was shot in 16mm, using scale models of the Antarctic and the underground lake VOSTOK, simulating the trip of a submarine through this landscape. Post-produced in 35mm film and in HD, it can be shown both in conventional movie theaters and exhibition venues. 

In VOSTOK_CINEPERFORMANCE, a projection of the 35mm copy of the film is accompanied by a performance in which all of the film’s sounds and noises, including the soundtrack, are played live. Thus, a new orchestra is formed, comprising musicians and film Foley artists. The performance caps off the project’s cycle, bringing it around full circle."

Text sent by Letícia Ramos on the occasion of the subscription to the 19th Festival (January 2015)