No More Reality Whereabouts

One of the most radical artists of his generation, at IFFR Philippe Parreno introduces an entirely new project. This feature-length film combines 20 years of existing and re-edited footage to generate a ‘film of films’; a hybrid that is both a non-exhaustive retrospective and the creation of a new persona through the symbiosis of its constituent parts.

In the past decades, Parreno has radically redefined the exhibition experience by conceiving this as a scripted space where a series of events unfolds. Now he explores the possibilities of the theatrical film screening as a coherent ’object’ rather than a collection of individual films. For the first time, Parreno presents a retrospective of his film works in the diegetic space of the cinema instead of the museum space. Screened in the commercial Pathé multiplex in the centre of Rotterdam, Parreno proposes a ‘seance of cinema’ reintroducing in this traditional setting the magic and live rituals that lie at the basis of this art form.

In doing so, Parreno is evoking a wider historical perspective to his individual films by adding new layers of sounds and graphics. Through its live components, No More Reality Whereabouts also takes us back to cinema’s roots in the art of shadow play, accompanied by music. To revive this notion of a cinematographic séance, Parreno renews his collaborations with such regular partners as visual artist Asad Raza, classical pianist Mikhail Rudy, graphic studio M/M and, for this unique occasion: an authentic Dhalang or master of Indonesian shadow puppetry.

Thu 24 to Sun 27 Jan, 14:00, 17:00 and 21:00; Mon 28 jan, 14:00 and 17:00, Pathé Schouwburgplein, €12 (various discounts applicable). Also see Frameworks Master Talk Philippe Parreno.

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