Experimental documentary film, 2021
Primitive graffiti drawings appear as cave paintings from a collapsed civilization in Shadow Codex, 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 black-and-white 8mm film documents the abandoned facilities of Turku County Prison (1835–2007) and the layers of messages drawn, scratched and burned on the cell walls. The markings become pathways to the shadows of an individual’s psyche, but likewise exposes the underbelly of a society which, while aiming for order, hides the ”dirt” it generates. On top of the inmates’ messages, a second layer of graffiti by building 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