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Koi

Strba Annelies - Koi 1998 (30'' Preview)

1998
SD PAL, 4:3, Colour, Sound, 32'39''

Annelies Strba's second video bears the laconic title Koi. The video camera is constantly aimed vertically from above towards a tank full of ornamental fish swimming aimlessly in dark water. The bright colours of the koi contrast with the dark water and the light reflexes created when the fish swim up to the surface for air. The ruffled surface of the water also creates movement among the colours of the fish.
[...] The congenial sound track to these beguiling images is by Pe Lang. Based on a simple rhythm, it consists of four notes, a fragment of a melody, constantly repeated and varied in subtle ways - for example by superimposing an echo. It traces a broad arc, fading into complete silence, only to rise gently again. [...]
The fish are the actors in this indescribably meditative and even trance-like video whose beauty really comes into its own when it is shown at full length in large-scale projection.