This nostalgic, dreamy film, shot at Brainchild in 2018 started out with the idea of shooting ‘the magic hour’, that time of day when all things are right in the photography world. Ella shot this short film on VHS – an experiment for her using a new medium – which we think captures perfectly the hazy, glittering setting and dream-like feeling of experiencing our festival.
The festival is an open book and people all weave their own story through it. For some it’s the people they’re there for, for others, the performances, and some are just there for the colours, the noise and the sun.
We wanted to see how different artists chronicled their experience of the festival; to see what it looked like for them. We also hoped to offer them a chance to develop their practise with the unusual space and subject matter of the festival.
We asked Ella a few short questions about this magical few minutes of footage…
Describe your Brainchild film in five words?
dreamy, nostalgic, tenderness, light and sparkles !
What did you set out to capture with this piece?
It evolved out of my love and obsession for the magic hour, which is something I explored in my degree show and dissertation. I started with the idea that I’d only shoot during the magic hour and capture the festival at day’s juncture with night when the world’s colour is suddenly in climax.
I ended up including some day shots too but most of them show some form of light playing off surface. With all the sparkles at Brainchild though it was the perfect opportunity to bring that magic in to the daytime hours.
Throughout the festival I caught myself looking for subject matter that emulated the sun whether it was day or night…I felt like a moth or a magpie searching for gold.
Tell us about your current ambitions & projects you’re working on that we should check out?
I graduated from a Fine Art degree at Camberwell College of Arts in June 2018 and since then I’ve been trying to work things out…to be honest I’ve had a break from art and making work, it’s been great to make this video though to get my creativity flowing again. In May I’m actually going away to Fiji for four months to work with a charity who help Fijian farmers gain organic certification and also work on a coral preservation programme. Although it’s got nothing to do with art or photography I imagine I’ll be making some kind of photography and film work out there, so keep your eyes peeled!
Website:
www.ellapavlides.com
Instagram:
@ella_pav
@ella_pavlides
If you’re a photographer/visual artist and interested in the opportunity to explore a creative project at Brainchild 2019, then please email lucy@brainchildfestival.co.uk with a short outline about what you’d like to do and some examples of your work.
Photos of Ella by Jerome Toole