#george drivas

[dk-the-journal-blog]

/Uncinematic. George Drivas - La Galleria Nazionale

The Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea presents the exhibition /Uncinematic. George Drivas, a selection of filmic works by the Greek artist.

[artandmusings]

/Uncinematic _ George Drivas - La Galleria Nazionale, September 2017

Another incredible temporary exhibition at La Galleria Nazionale is dedicated to the Greek film director George Drivas.

Once again the environment is perfectly suited to the show curated by Daphne Vitali. As mentioned in previous reviews (I seem to spend a lot of time at La Galleria Nazionale…) the modern art museum has recently moved away from arranging rooms by time and space.

Similarly, Drivas’s films lack an identifiable temporal and spatial location. At times they appear to be set in the future, at times in the past. Costumes are often all black and aren’t dated. His characters, frequently nameless, don’t have an identity other than that with which we are presented in the film. Viewers must simply roll with what happens on screen, as it happens - Drivas gives the bare minimum.

Despite this lack of information there is a strong sense of alienation given by the robotic quality all his characters seem to possess.

This is largely due to the architecture featured in the films: cold façades, brutalist buildings - often reminiscent of Soviet Russia.

Kepler (2014), filmed in Tbilisi, illustrates the interplay between architecture and alienation well. The name given to the film gabs a dual function: it reminds us of the recently discovered Earth-like planet and it makes the construction project shown in the film its focus. The environment surrounding the characters is deserted, barren and plain. Instead of adding warmth to this setting, the protagonists (if we can call them that) make the setting even more unwelcoming.

Another captivating short is Sequence Error (2011). Set in a nondescript corporate office redundancies are made by deleting employees as one would digital files. Drivas uses speeches from Che Guevara and George Marshall to enhance his commentary of the contemporary Greek crisis.

The short that I enjoyed most was Closed Circuit (2005). We see CCTV footage of a criminal case. This is accompanied by more CCTV footage, showing two characters, potentially lovers, around New York. Drivas juxtaposes the seemingly random moments caught on surveillance camera to white screens with stage directions, proving that the characters are programmed to follow a script. The relationship between the two strangers/lovers and the crime is unresolved.

/Uncinematic closes on September 24th.

[euroifc]

Check out  our new interview with award-winning filmmaker George Drivas, director of Beta Test.

Beta is the second letter of the Greek alphabet, the letter B. Beta test is the story of a city. Beta is the first version of software that has to be tested before going out in the market. Beta test is about our future. It is about surveillance, urbanity, communication and the feeling of non-existence. Beta test is a love story. It can happen to anyone.

Read the interview to find out more about Drivas inspirations, other thoughts as well as projects he's up to.

Read Interview here  

Watch Beta Test here  

Enjoy the last Friday of the summer.

[tornhalves]

George Drivas on personalising education in Greece

A vicious attack on the outrageous plan to personalise education in Greece - a plan cooked up by Mr George Drivas. For those interested in the demolition of neo-liberal pedagogy at a time of crisis, see below:

George Drivas - the personalisation of education in Greece - a blistering critique