Whatever happened to our animalistic side? Our goal is not to give a definitive response to these questions, but moreover to ask ourselves: Is true freedom not found in nature, at our roots? Ex Anima lays bare the Horse in its rawest form. As we follow the story of horses across space and time, we slowly undergo visceral and intrinsic changes. Straddling the line between cinema, theater, and modern art.
©Marion Tubiana
©Marion Tubiana
It on January 13th 2018, 1.4m people across Hawai’i received an SMS from the state’s Emergency Management Agency: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
In the minutes that followed, they were forced to confront existential questions that had been unthinkable just moments before: where could they go for shelter? What would remain of their communities if they survived a nuclear blast? How could they explain to their children why we live in a world where such unimaginable destruction was possible? And how could their own Government continue to pursue nuclear policies that threaten the entire global population every day?
By the time FEMA managed to retract the incorrect warning message, it was too late to pretend that normality would resume. Their collective experience had laid bare the growing threat that nuclear weapons pose to the world. In the words of Kauai resident Cynthia Lazaroff, ‘Nothing happened, but everything changed’.
I was lucky enough to discover the work of Bartabas the day I met the man himself. I was so impressed by what I had seen, that at first, it was hard for me to talk to him. How could I describe Ex-Anima? I could not take the risk of reducing what I saw to mere words. One thing was sure, I had never seen
anything like this in my life.
Ex-Anima is a hybrid, across between the installations of Bill Viola, the films of André Tarkovsky and the theatre of Simon Stone – basically, it triggers a state of “amazement”. After coming back down to earth (45 minutes later), I began a long conversation with Bartabas, and I understood that I had seen his ultimate show.
This was the culmination of more than 30 years of work, a space where we no longer projected ourselves onto the riders but put ourselves directly in the place of the actual horses. Ex Anima features hardly anything but animals – humans are present, but in a very remote manner…
Faced with this phenomenon, we no longer intellectualize, we no longer think, we just feel. This is an ode to the breath of animals, just as much as that of humans. We hear each sigh, suspended, in silence – no-one is allowed to clap. When speaking of this opus, Bartabas touches upon the unforeseeable – the animal may perform what it has learnt, once more. Or it may not. Without a safety net, the horse, in its entirety, has the freedom to roam the stage; it can choose to run off course.
The horse is the master, Ex Anima is just a frame, it could almost be the name of a myth, or a legend…
Since then, I have seen the circus acts of Zingaro on DVD. It was hard for me to rekindle what I had experienced. Obviously, nothing compares to a real-life show, unique, by definition. But we can retain something of its spirit thanks to virtual reality –this feeling of amazement.
We are less interested in capturing Ex-Anima as if the spectator were there, but more in seeing through the eyes of one of its instigators (Bartabas himself or one of the horses, which is basically the same thing). We can admire the horses from up close, like demi-gods, right at the heart of their ritual.
The Ex Anima experience will not be a simple film, but an immersion in the universe Bartabas has designed, through eight pieces selected from the original piece, and re-directed especially for the project, which means that they too shall constitute a unique experience. We will play with volume, with scale. It will be necessary to cause a genuine loss of bearings, through the shadowy elements surrounding the spectator, as fog and darkness will be our greatest allies in the creation of this project.
We may not have complete mastery, yet the beauty of Ex Anima shall remain, suspended, in the air, in each breath, and, as its name indicates, through the animal itself. Truly unique.
Pierre is a director who has created a wide range of awarded works. He has directed music videos, commercials and short films for many brands. He co-founded Atlas V where he directs but also produce narrative immersive content. Using these new techniques and through clever use of imagery, Pierre has the ability of creating authentic experience.
An exceptional squire, scenographer and film director, Bartabas invented and staged a new form of live performance, the Equestrian Theatre. In 1984, he founded his company, the Théâtre Equestre Zingaro. His productions are events that mark their time and triumph all over the world, taking the audience into a new dreamlike and aesthetic journey.
JORGE TERESO is a director & digital artist from Buenos aires. His work ranges from playful and lysergic animations to realistic VR experiences and interactive installations. He’s a partner at 3dar studios, where he created its first award winning short film, Shave It (2013).
Since then he’s been creating 3dar’s original content, always in search of new ways to expand the possibilities of animation.
Directed by
Bartabas & Pierre Zandrowicz
Produced by
Atlas V, Arte, Zingaro, Mk2 Films
Producer
Antoine Cayrol
Co-Producers
Arnaud Colinart, Pierre Zandrowicz
Line Producer
Julien Bercy
Director Of Photography
Jean-Baptiste Villechaize
Vfx & Vr Supervisors
James Senade & Geoffrey Pons
Unit Manager
Arthur Baschung
Sound Engineers
Yves Bagot, Gabriel Guerin
Horses
Arruza El Soro Angelo
Belmonte El Viti Calacas
Bombita Manolete Credne
Chicuelo Manzanares Dagda
Cintrón Nimeño Lug
Dominguín Paquirri Mac Oc
El Cordobés Zurbarán Nuada
El Gallo Noureev Ogme
Le Tintoret
Equestrian Bartabas
Equestrian Alice Seghier
Equestrian David Weiser
Equestrian Messaoud Zeggane
Equestrian Etienne Regnier
Equestrian Mathias Lyon
Groom Julien Koch
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