Two people move inside a circle of salt. They scrape the ground, breathe deeply, collide and hold each other up. Their movements feel searching and unsure. The salt shifts under their feet. It becomes a surface to stand on, a sound to hear and a material that changes between safety and struggle.
Untitled (Ol Bodi Na Sta) began when Sierra Leonean artist Julianknxx saw dancers Karel Kouelany and Joël Assebako perform. The experience stayed with him. He returned to it through film, drawing on his background in rap and poetry. The images move like verses in a song, shaped by rhythm, repetition and pause.
An original score, created with musicians anaiis, Thabo and Aron Kyne, weaves together rhythm and Krio, a language spoken in Sierra Leone. Through sound and movement, the film shows how ritual and memory travel between people. As the bodies move, they ask: how do we carry who we are, together?
Note: this work contains some nudity
Julianknxx weaves poetry into an exploration of dreams and who they serve via NOWNESS
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xos-125527