AXE2004

"This film is a compilation made out of the discarded clippings of various other films... AXE (pronounced ASHAY) is a key word in the Yoruba language, spoken in West Africa (Nigeria) and means 'life force'. The film emulsion was altered through a series of biochemical processes and collage techniques in order to form a visual metaphor for the multifarious appearances and transformations present in African religious rituals. The stylistic devices of abstract expressionist painting seemed to me to be best suited to represent the phenomenon of the ritual frenzy. There are a number of parallels between childhood games and certain forms of religious ritual that the film attempts to illustrate through the use of montage. And although the beat of the African drum influenced the rhythm of the cut, I decided in the end to dispense with sound altogether so as not to influence the suggestive effect of the film." -CJ