Cavallo di Lavoro / La puledro

BRENT MEISTRE

Cavallo di lavoro e La puledro are two video projects realized by editing photographic series that describe some significant places of the city of Castelfranco Veneto such as Villa Bolasco and the disused industry of the F.E.R.V.E.T. The presence of the photographer within the shooting constitutes a central reference for a narrative structure conceived for heterogeneous fragments united by the theme of the work. The sound dimension and the pressing rhythm of the video communicates the importance of the work cycle for a society that links productivity and economy to the image of the territory.

“Cavallo di lavoro (Workhorse) is an animation composed of single still photographic images that combine to create a disjointed, fragmented narrative. This greater narrative is built around meta-narratives that describe features of the economic, social and industrial history of Castelfranco Veneto, through the metaphor of the workhorse as it wanders through the legacy of the region from the medieval city’s silk trade heydays until the industrial sprawl of today. The horse is a representation of mobility, movement, power and strength; in a way, it has been the lifeblood behind the economic growth of this area of North East Italy. Most economic activity here today
is still driven by ‘horsepower’, be it in the car engine, the forge, the mechanical plant, the airplane or the train. The horse also represents the human body – a body that has been put to work, into the fields and into the factories, but like the work horse can be fragile, over-worked or burdened, eventually being put out to pasture. The animation’s tempo is set by a constant beat that echoes the repetitive cantering of a horse, a churning barrel, a spinning carousel or a rotating wheel. It pulls us along a journey through surreal and uncertain landscapes made up of pathways, railways, roads and processing plants, and into corridors and stairwells. The narrative does not reach a specific point or its climax, but rather evokes ideas of life-cycles and work patterns, and more specifically returns to what Sigmund Freud called the ‘death drive’. This is the uncontrollable impulse to
do and to repeat, sometimes obsessively, something that seems to be engrained in blood lines.” (B.M.)

Video

(Cavallo di lavoro, 8′ 38″, Single channel, 1920×1080 HD video, 2016)

“La puledro (The foal) uses the metaphor and the motif of the young horse to question control and authority over the vulnerable, the subordinate or the enslaved. This performative animation considers various complex issues such as gender roles in the traditional villa and factory, representing distinct historical timeframes, and the absurdity of repetitive everyday processes of cleaning, tidying or packing-up. The use of the song Devento Mata recalls a mournful yet triumphant era with the surreal rendition
of the song hinting at the songs sung by the woman from Castelfranco Veneto who cleared the salt marshes when Mussolini was in power.” (B.M.)

Video

(La Puledro, 2′ 49″, Single channel, 1920×1080 HD video, 2016)

Project realized as part of the artist residency “OMNE/WORK”, Castelfranco Veneto 31st May – 11th June 2016, exhibited during OMNEFEST (Museo Casa Giorgione, 13th October – 9th December 2018) and published in the book “OMNE/WORK 2016- 2018”, Lettera Ventidue, Siracusa 2018