Distant Feeler performance by OJOBOCA

Polar Film Lab and Tromsø Kunstforening present the artist duo OJOBOCA with screening & live performance:

Film: Instant Life
16mm | 27 min | color | 2022
The three films you will see are shot-for-shot reproductions of the compilation film Instant Life (1981). Each film in Instant Life (1981) was a remake of an earlier film also called Instant Life (1941). The earlier Instant Life (1941) was a single film, not a compilation.
In 2017, we decided to recreate Instant Life (1981). We did not attempt to recreate Instant Life (1941) because that Instant Life is lost. Instant Life (1941) was a silent film presented with live musical accompaniment. After the show, audience members received a printed riddle. Instant Life (1981) is a sound film. The riddle is part of the film. No answer to the riddle exists.
Co-directed with Andrew Kim.

DISTANT FEELER
Goliatus & Carábida (1977-1997)

The Distant Feeler was a contraption created by the artist duo Goliatus & Carabida. It was the result of their attempt at creating a telepathic cinema; a project they worked on from 1977 to 1997. What is left of their project are the remnants of a device they called “Distant Feeler” and a manifesto with the title “Distant Feelings or signs of a perfect lover”. From these remnants, which we were fortunate to find, we’ve created our own version of the device. However, we cannot claim that it is a true replica of the original. We tried to reconstruct the machine but much of what we found was broken or had no discernible use. Luckily, the slides were in reasonably good shape.

For this talk we will recount the history of this contraption, along with a demonstration of its effect, as we imagine it might have functioned. We will also show you its constitutive elements separately so that you may understand the nature of its illusion. Finally, we will read the artists’ manifesto.

2022

About OJOBOCA:
Anja Dornieden and Juan David González Monroy are filmmakers based in Berlin. They work together under the moniker OJOBOCA. Together they practice Orrorism, a simulated method of inner and outer transformation. They have presented their films and performances in a wide variety of venues and festivals worldwide, among them the Wexner Center for the Arts, Museum of the Moving Image, Österreichische Filmmuseum, Anthology Film Archives, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Kunstverein München, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Berlinale, New York Film Festival, Visions du Réel, RIDM, Ann Arbor Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival. Both González Monroy and Dornieden are members of the artist-run film lab LaborBerlin.

The project is generously supported by: Kulturrådet - Arts Council Norway, Sparebank1 Nord-Norge and Tromsø kommune.