ELSEWHERE (2003)

next is a remarkable Japanese film, Elsewhere (2003) by Hiraki Sawa.

{2003, 8mins, dv, b&w, Japan}

Hiraki Sawa's films are wondrous little meditations on conceptions of reality et innocence, time et motion, displacement et alienation. his early films could be described as "domestic surrealism". It is important to note that Elsewhere is a follow up, a reworking of sorts, of Sawa's graduation film Dwelling (2002), a key film that established many of the core animation techniques et domestic elements that recur in his later works.

Elsewhere begins with a series of deliberate establishing shots which have a naturalistic lo-fi dv look, these set-up shots work to familiarize the viewer with the everyday space of the apartment et the objects within it. Sawa then magically transforms these mundane everyday objects into moving, living things, the reality of the everyday domestic space become magical poetic dreamscapes.

it is Sawa's clever use of a low-res consumer camera to record his images that ultimately gives them the sense of poetic realism. the dim, gray, naturally lit interlaced video images are reminiscent of home videos, which effectively lulls the viewer into a sense of familiarity, this is when Sawa works his magic et delightfully ruptures the viewers understanding of everyday reality, house-hold objects sprout legs et begin to move about freely, as if they had just woken up. some objects, like a pair of scissors take the opportunity to exercise et jog around the apartment floor {possibly a play on the saying "never run with scissors"}, toiletries promenade along the outside of the shower et basin, tea cups et spoons stroll across the dinner table.

Sawa's video animation style has the look et feel of flickery early stop-motion animation, recalling the classic films of Ray Harryhausen {King Kong, Jason and the Argonauts}.

what i like about Sawa's early films is that they have a very 'real' et personal quality which make them very endearing et familiar. it feels like Sawa spends a lot of time inside his apartment, daydreaming, staring et the objects around him absent mindedly. so it is very natural that his films take place in this familiar domestic setting, his films play out as exercises in how to combat alienation et boredom, et to provide himself with some companionship.

the title "Elsewhere" is also very pertinent in the films reading, we can interpret elsewhere to represent the idea of domestic spaces being familiar, yet seen from a different perspective they can transform before out eyes into somewhere else. from a personal perspective, the fact that Sawa is a Japanese artist living et practicing in London introduces notions of dislocation, alienation et homesickness, themes which are clearly present in his early films.

watching Sawa's films, one can't help but feel like they are coming directly from his subconscious, we are momentarily granted access to the fantastical images that are flowing through his mind as he lies on his bed daydreaming. Elsewhere seems to exist between night et day, it is in/between/time, this is often when the real magic happens ... you just have to be awake to witness it.

Hiraki Sawa is a Japanese video artist et animator who graduated from the Slade School of Fine Are it London, where he lives et works.

you can watch Elsewhere here along with some of Sawa's other films, enjoy! 

here is the London gallery that represents Sawa, James Cohen Gallery, you can look at his new works et read some articles about him there.