A Singapore videoartist “rips to pieces” Pasolini’s Teorema and, interpreting all the characters in the film, he describes the plot, setting it in the shade of the Vesuvius. Devo partire. Domani (I must leave. Tomorrow), video installation by Ming Wong, produced by the Napoli Teatro Festival Italia, examines the relationship, often morbid, that each one of us has with another’s identity. The young filmaker, who was awarded a special mention at the Venice Bienniale Arte (2009) with the one-man show Life of Imitation, after a one month research in Naples, has put forward a revisitation in a postmodern key of Pasolini’s masterpiece, pursuing the eternal literary dream of being able to observe the world from different points of view.
What brings toghether Pasolini, Singapore and Naples? The answer is: Devo partire. Domani, a video installation on Teorema signed by a young Singapore artist, Ming Wong. «I came across Pasolini while I was a student at the Slade School of Fine Arts in London and that film is one of my favourites.” In the Teorema parable, Eros, embodied in a handsome foreigner with eyes full of sweetness, comes down to earth to make a whole middle class family fall in love with him, father, mother, two children and the housekeeper. The angel of love seduces everybody, and when he suddenly leaves, just as he had mysteriously arrived, he leaves them all distraught: the trauma is so violent that no one can accept reality any longer, and they escape into madness or take refuge in depravity. «The way Pasolini transfers onto the screen this metaphor of man and society – says Ming Wong - is fascinating. After having seen those shots, it is impossible to forget them».
You interpret all the characters: why?
Ming Wong: I am the father, the mother, the son, the daughter, the housekeeper and the foreigner in five plasma videos, one for each member of the family. It has been important to be able to interpret men/women, young/old, rich/poor... separately and at the same time, to outline the vital track of each and every one. Besides, the truth is that I wanted to be Terence Stamp, Silvana Mangano, Laura Betti, Massimo Girotti, the extraordinary interpreters of this film!
You have shot in Naples, how did it work out?
I have reordered the plot to fit our times, setting it in the Festival city: from Scampia, the area where Gomorra was shot, to the industrial desert of Bagnoli and to the Vesuvius, a metaphor of human passions frustrated by the false identity of each and every one of us. At the end this vibrant, incredible city has penetrated my video installation with the strength of an autonomous character. Naples has such a rich and complex identity that it is unique in its kind, with its urban and natural scenes and with its stratified cultures which correspond to different historical periods.
Therefore, the five videos run parallel…
Up to a point. Each of the five stories is divided into three parts: Temptation, Confession, Revelation, and describes the track followed by the characters, from the moment the Foreigner arrives to the moment he announces that he is leaving, kindling in them an interior conflict, up to the moment when each one becomes aware of the fact that he/she has deeply changed. Therefore, the first two parts are identical for the five videos, while the third part changes, compelling the viewer to choose the finale that most attracts him.
Why are you interested in the plot of Teorema?
I think all relationships are derived from the family unity. Teorema shows us the archetypal Italian middle class family, at least according to popular culture, a reservoir which could be the source of many ideas and variations on the theme. Moreover, the film is poor in words and rich in images, expressive gestures, full of meaning and, for this reason, universal.
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