AVYAKTA
Avyakta. 2012. 2-channel video projection. HD Film. 17 min. 56 sec.
Synopsis
What she experienced there is unknown, but from that point on, she lived a life totally different from her life before. Even within the strict restrictions, she was dignified, and at times, rejected what she had been ordered to do. Also, she drew strange- looking symbols and made objects with unknown uses. But what was even stranger was that the citizens of Tempus came to adore the woman who would habitually act in such a peculiar way. The people would even impart meaning to her signs and symbols. They worshipped her, looking up to her as a messenger delivering messages from a mysterious place.
Tempus was thrown into confusion, and eventually the woman was banished. This led to others breaking away from the system just as she had. Tempus, which had been an-all-but- impenetrable fortress, was slowly collapsing. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the leaders of Tempus decided to take a risk in order to grasp the facts behind the unproductive acts that had begun with those of the woman. They decided to make use of the time machine that they had been secretly developing as a means to travel back in time before the apocalypse and create a system in which Tempus would have supreme power. Although the machine was only at an experimental stage, the Tempus leaders did not hesitate to use it. They believed that if the roots of such problems could be identified, then such problems could be completely removed. Tempus chose a man who was rational and levelheaded enough for the grave mission to restore its former grand status.
The room is erased of all traces of the past, and just like the man’s facial expression, the room is void of any emotional currents whatsoever. Expressionless and uncertain, the man slowly takes a look around the room and takes a seat at the edge of the bed. He opens the aluminum case that he brought with him that is filled with objects including an old book called News From Nowhere, a kaleidoscope, a compass, and exhibition tickets. Silently, he picks up the book and gazes at it while taking a deep breath, as if he is composing himself before an important undertaking.
The man feels a bit dizzy due to the city’s noise. The city, packed with tall buildings, different kinds of people, and heavy traffic, unsettles him. He feels like a particle of dust floating around in a place so different from the future from which he came, but he is unable to hide his own excitement stemming from an undefinable tension and vividness of the city. He hurriedly takes out his compass and looks at it. The needle of the compass cannot point properly and circles around in a frenzy. The man tries to stay calm. He closes his eyes for a few minutes and gathers his breath. After preparing his mind to a state where he can maneuver himself out of the situation that he is facing, he gets back on track and moves on. Now that he cannot rely on his compass, the direction of his mission depends on his intuition. He is confident as his intuition has always been exceptional.
The man hallucinates and sees the stars he had just seen in the night sky swirling inside the cup of coffee that he has in his hands. The man is seated and raises and lowers his cup again and again. He only hears peripheral noises and sounds. The man picks up the kaleidoscope from the table. After examining it this way and that, he looks into it and presses its button.
The man returns to the hotel room, the gate of time, and prepares to go back to the world that he had originally belonged to. His mind, which had been cluttered with doubts and questions, is now filled with peace. Before returning to the future, the man sits on the edge of the bed and stares at his reflection in the mirror for a while. Then he brings a piece of paper and pencil from the desk and doodles something on the paper. He lays the paper and pencil down and gets up, a slight smile showing at the corners of his mouth. He lifts up the case that he had brought with him, looks around the room just like he had when he first arrived, and walks toward the door.
INVESTIGATOR LEE Jungjae
WRITTEN & DIRECTED by MOON Kyungwon & JEON Joonho
PRODUCED by Jo Jina
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY KIM Woohyung, PARK Jongchul
EDITED by YooN Jaehoon (Alice FX)
MUSIC by JANG Younggyu & DALPALAN
PRODUCTION MANAGER CHOI Sooyoung, LEE Chunghyung, CHOI Heejung
© 2012-2013 MOON Kyungwon & JEON Joonho All rights reserved.