Experimental documentary film, 2021
Graffiti on the grey concrete walls are like cave paintings from a collapsed civilization in Shadow Codex, a film documenting the abandoned Turku County Prison (1835-2007). A study on the probative power of image and text and the significance of symbols in the closed and surveilled systems of prison institutions, the grainy 8mm film lets text, drawings, and shabby pinup posters speak their own language about incarceration and institutionalised punishment. The markings become pathways to the shadows of an individual’s psyche, while simultaneously exposing the darker side of a society that hides the ”dirt” it generates in its pursuit of order.
On top of the inmates’ messages, a second layer of graffiti left by squatters, trespassers and other participators has emerged, turning the walls into thickets of haunting and indecipherable communication. The flow of images is punctuated by John Cage’s (1912–1992) composition “Perilous Night” (1964), described as a journey to the nocturnal side of the soul.
Interview by Patrick Gamble in ALT/KINO: Finnish artist Saara Ekström talks about transformation, exploitation, violence and the act of collecting images in her new film Shadow Codex – https://www.altkino.com/writing/interview-saara-ekstrm
CREDITS: Director, cinematographer: Saara Ekström, editor: Eero Tammi, music: John Cage – licensed by Schott Music & Media/WERGO and Peters Edition Ltd, post production: GradeOne, film material and scanning: Artturi Mutanen/Mutascan, graphics: Sakari Männistö/Letterpress House. Supported by AVEK.
Filming format: B&W 8mm film, Release date: 21.04.2021, Length: 00:12:31, Aspect ratio: 4:3
World Premiere at CPH:DOX film festival, nominated for NEW:VISION award