Ai Weiwei Brings Two Films To CPH:DOX — ‘Animality’ And ‘Turandot’

CPH: DOX, the famous documentary festival in Copenhagen, offers what might be called AI Weiwei's dual feature.

On Wednesday, the festival will host the first global show AnimationThe latest documentary film by the great Chinese artist. After that day, the masses welcomes the international offer Ai Weiwei's TurandotFilm directed by Maxim Derifianko about the artist's production of the classic Puccini Opera.

Animation Viewers take on a trip around the world, study the relationship between humans and animals – some of them are traditional, such as men in raw, and repent who carry straw mountains to feed the elabors, and other industries on a large scale, such as egg production and chicken processing in Hobby, China, and moccination in Denmark. In many scenes, the suffering of animals in the hands of humans is clear, however, the documentary tone remains even non -judicial.

“What I like about the documentary,” tells the pluscinemaz.comin an interview at his hotel in Copenhagen, “Does it not represent a single voice, but it is more objective as a record, or, I would like to say, as a kind of proof … I love documentaries only because it does not reflect this reality, and not the opinion of one person.

Treating address to Animation It is seen on old caves panels dating back to 40,000 years when the relationship between animals and humans was intimate and deep.

“The sacred relationship is from the beginning,” AI Weiwei notes. “If you look at the cave boards or early Chinese things like jade sculpting, [you] See animals carry an important message as a god. Many deities can be birds at that time, can be a tiger or can be a dragon. But that [was a] Time with limited information, knowledge. Therefore, they say that animals are of equal importance like humans. But of course, not today. The only thing you see in the supermarket, the meat is loved, wrapped in plastic. “

Increased urbanization in contemporary society led to an additional separation from many animals. “Most people have no real relationships or contacts with chicken, pigs, cows, not even to see other animals,” he says. “separate”.

In some scenes of the movie, the relationship remains largely closer as in Myanmar, where the logon uses elephants to move the giant trees that fell for wood. “The elephant still can coexist with humans because humans want to use them as a mechanism for productivity,” the director says. “You can see it clearly [move] These cut records, only the elephant can do this task. And see how difficult it is to do so. “

Even in this context, modernity intrude. “But suddenly, the forest disappeared almost, and it is prohibited 1742735742 For forest parts. Elephants just lost its job. Not only the animal, the person who nurtures the animal has also worked. “

In Paragumenas, Brazil, Animation The rain forests are shown to make room for more livestock breeding and meat production. This loss in the “lungs of the earth” contributes to climate change and can ultimately stimulate a mass migration because people flee the habitats that have become unprecedable (in this sense, Animation Contains the previous documentary of Ai Wewei, Human flowWhich examined human immigration caused by political and environmental factors).

“I think we cannot just direct a finger to one case,” says about the climate crisis. “We must understand the human state in today's world where humans have a pure miracle, or every other life. But often, we see that other animals do not govern the world, but only humans. [Humans] Sacrifice of other life and control as well, with arrogance. All arrogance is a kind of stupidity. “

Animation It contains many annoying scenes, as is the case in a part of China where the authorities kill stray dogs that are a nuisance (in one sequence, a couple is peeled by men wearing the uniform after they protested against the killing of their dog, which was considered a reckless mistake Ai Weiwei: Never sorryAs the artist was beaten by the Chinese police. Another scene, filmed in Cairo, shows men slapping beauty with sticks to their herd; Some animals have one of their four legs restricted and wait for the knee, forcing them to jump around them embarrassingly.

“He puts everyone in a situation that allows him to rethink humanity,” the director notes. “we [need] See just how we deal with animals to understand who we are. “

AI Weiwei has directed 20 films covering a wide range of topics. Documentary Film 2020 Alive Check the terrible disappearance of a group of students seized in Gueriro in Mexico. Film 2021 Rohingya It focuses on the largest refugee camp in the world, which was held in Cox Bazar, Bangladesh to house the refugees fleeing persecution and death in Myanmar. His intellectual and artistic interests are wide, but he never thought about directing Opera until he was contacted about the Putune production mode Torlandot For Rome Opera House.

In many ways, it was a curious offer, given that artificial intelligence grew up in a limited area from northeastern China (his father, the poet AI Qing, with his family to the BEIDHUANG Labor Party camp, Heilongjiang in the late fifties of the last century after the government).

He says: “I am almost fortified with music, not just the opera, because I grew up in silence. I must show you a picture.” “This is where she grew up. He is my father in this black hole. So, no music. We have insects that make this Zigzag The sound in the field or some birds, but it is difficult [even] To survive birds … So, silence is my music and [I’ve] Do not train or get used to listening to music. ”

However, he had a connection Torlandot. In 1988, when he was a young man who lived in New York with his brother, Franco Zeffrely throws siblings in production Torlandot The Italian director was escalating in Metropolitan Opera in the Lincoln Center in Manhattan.

He recalls, “I heard that they want some Chinese faces in production,” he recalls. “I and my brother have nothing to do. So we went there [to auditions] I see Zefflery on the other end of the theater looking at us, as he said, well, we look perfect, like the Mongolian face. So I was wondering what they wanted me to do? “

It turned out that Zefflelli gave him more than what artificial intelligence expected. “I discovered that I am not just an additional operation on the stage … they wanted to appear my face, so they are [cast] I am the assistant of the executioner. I must help the executioner polish his knife. “

He recalls that for those offers, “we get about 3 dollars per hour. Of course, it brings us $ 3 a lot of joy because the Lincoln Center is not far from 72 Broadway Street, which contains Gray's Papaya Hot Dog. You can buy another one for free.”

We asked if this means that he got one hot dog, and his brother got the other.

“No, two for me, two [for my brother]. Then we have a large cup of papaya drink, “he says.” It was joy. “

Rome opera production request TorlandotSo, one was unable to retreat, even if this type of things was not Métier.

“It was very difficult,” he confessed. “I know it will be difficult because it is something you cannot completely build. It is more like renewing the castle. You have to maintain the structure, which is music, and Liter Line, but do the total of others like the movement design … on fashion, and I feel still there is a kind of conflict.

TorlandotShe left incomplete at the death of Bushini in 1924, telling a legendary story of an iceberg that defines anyone looking for her hand in marriage. The suitor must correctly answer three puzzles to become engaged to her, with a wrong answer that leads to death. Inevitably, the Italian composer looked at China from a Western perspective, focusing on strange and revenge. Artificial intelligence takes an innovative approach, and modernizing production in multiple ways.

“The first launch of the opera (direction, groups, fashion and videos) is controversial, which is a giant and enjoyable candidate where the radical and intellectual paradoxes of the artist are displayed with all its glory.” “It is expected that the videos and animation of the computer will be connected from the present time, not fully associated with the plot of conspiracy, but dealing with some iconic moments: anti -government protests and suppressing them in Hong Kong, refugees in Ukraine, and flying bombs.”

AI Wei Wei is not only an artist and a movie director, but he is an activist. There is a political dimension for many of his actions, sometimes hidden, and sometimes public. in AnimationThe viewer is left to extract political or moral conclusions if they wish. Production Torlandot It can be experienced in musical entertainment. But even a princess story – the daughter of the emperor – allows anyone to draw compared to contemporary times.

He says: “As long as human society is, we have an emperor in different forms in every society,” he says. “Even in Denmark. It is just strength that may be increasing and more clear and people do not even know who is the emperor … If individuals are not able to really exercise their rights and cannot influence the greatest political situation, this means that some force exists.”