CASINO CAMPIONE
by André Kobza, Lukas Odermatt, Video Essay, Video Essay Atelier, 8’ 56’’, 2024
In the video essay that we created together, my personal experience and relationship with the Casino of Campione took a back seat. What remained was this description of the encounter and the strange feeling of not being welcomed. The narrating voice takes on the role of a personal viewer, while the images show isolated moments of action or atmospheres. The third component was the interrupting quotes that structured the video and summarized the just perceived impressions.
EFFIGY
by Anton Bucich, Petra Keane, Video Essay, Video Essay Atelier, 5’ 16’’, 2024
Our film “Effigy” began with a conversation Anton and I had over FaceTime in April. The week prior Johannes Binotto gave a guest lecture on the theme of the ‘uncanny.’ This fresh in our minds set the tone. Through my laptop screen, Anton explained how he was trying to call his mum inAustralia - he needed her help. She answered and told him there was nothing she could do, she wasn’t there, she could only keep the call running while she went about her errands to offer some company. He described the comfort he felt although her true presence did not exist - an uncanny sense of familiarity which was not really as it seemed. As he played out this scene, a very familiar set of emotions resurfaced for me, tied to my own parents who too live on the other side of the world, in Singapore. A feeling caused by endless bizarre moments that have occurred, mediated through a digital device over the past eight years. The most natural bond became severed by distance. Technology then served as the tool which tried to mend, replace and replicate this but in these efforts always altered it. As Anton and I relayed stories, we joked that even the circumstance under which our conversation was taking place had this same strange condition. I was home in Ireland and he was in Switzerland. The sky was bright in my world and dark in his, his roommate appeared on the screen waving hello to me occasionally and at one point my computer died mid sentence. We began to grasp at these feelings and jotted down the words ‘uncanny,’ ‘distance,’ ‘digital border’ and ‘parent-child relationship’ - and so began the project.
SIMULATOR: RUSSIAN WOMAN
by Viktoriia Kanivchenko, Video Essay, Video Essay Atelier, 9’ 23’’, 2024
The topic of this semester's video essay “Borders, Boundaries and Ethics” turned out to be very symbolic for my life and, I think, for the lives of many Russian women over the past 2.5 years. Therefore, I decided to make a video about the problems faced by women in Russia, that is, to tell a little about myself and at the same time on behalf of an observer who now has the opportunity to observe the situation from a distance.
THE ONE WITHOUT FRIENDS
by Luca Leoni, Video Essay, Video Essay Atelier, 12’ 28’’, 2024
To make "The One Without Friends" I went through a creative and human journey that prompted me to reflect on myself as well as on issues that I think concern everyone. My interest in the phenomenon of cancel culture led me to reflect on the reasons why people want to cancel “Friends”. But it was the recognition of the importance of enhancing my point of view, my fears, and my feelings that played the most important role in defining the most effective structure – in my opinion – of the video essay, giving due importance to the meaning of friendship.
I hope this will be clear to the viewers as well. I hope they may also see this project as an inspiration to think about cancel culture, AI and the importance of their friends.
But most of all, I hope viewers can spend just under thirteen minutes enjoying themselves, which is not so evident at this time in history.
UNEXPECTED
by McLaughlin Oender Sarah, Gonzales Marta, Fiction, Video Essay Atelier, 6’31’’, 2024
Friendships are the bonds that transcend boundaries and weave the fabric of humanconnection. They are the backbone of our lived experiences, providing support, joy andmeaning amidst the chaos of life. In a world where we often find ourselves adrift, searchingfor belonging, true friendships serve as anchors, guiding us through life's turbulent waters. Our video essay portrays a poignant tale of two girls, who, upon embarking on an exchangeprogram in Switzerland, forge an unexpected and profound friendship that challenges thevery notions of borders, boundaries, and ethics.
