I attempt from love’s sickness to fly, in vain, (excerpt shown here), is a video and group of photographs based on an aria written by the English baroque composer Henry Purcell. In the video, the aria is performed numerous times by a viola di gamba player and soprano in full baroque period costume.
The video was shot with two vertically oriented 5k cameras simultaneously. In the final work, up to 8 channels of video are composited side by side to make one wide panoramic image, creating a series of peculiar fictional spaces that seem to entrap the performers. Panning and tracking camera movements make the architecture appear to fold, stretch, and morph. The text of the song, in which the singer describes the futility of trying to escape from “love’s sickness”, is echoed by the circularity of the da capo musical structure and the endlessly looping video.
The multiple channels of high resolution footage composited into each frame of this video made post-production a challenge when it was first exhibited in 2017. In 2022 the film was completely remastered and rebuilt by film makers Suzanne Friesen and Ryan Ermacora, who created a beautiful new colour correction, available in 4k and 5k outputs that take full advantage of the original high quality Redcam footage. Available to view on request.
The accompanying photographs play with the Baroque fascination with the grotesque, lingering on details of the video that highlight the ornamental distortions and fictional spaces created.
Exhibition History:
2017 I attempt from love’s sickness to fly, in vain (original 2017 version) Republic Gallery in conjunction with the Capture Festival of Photography, Vancouver.
Credits:
Conceived and directed by: Carol Sawyer
Starring: Catherine Lee (voice) and Patricia Unruh (viola di gamba)
Producer: Sharon Kahanoff
Production Coordinator: Sharon Kahanoff
Director of Photography and Camera Operator: Pete Hagge
DIT and Sound Recordist: Ian Barbour
Second Camera Operator: Ryan Ermacora
Camera Assistant and Gaffer: Jean Brazeau
Grips: Mackenzie Reid Rostand, Rafay Waqar, Evan Mason
Set Decoration: Kara Hansen and Ruben Möller
Production Assistant: Kara Hansen
Catering: Kathleen Taylor
Wigs and Make-up: Hayley Smith
Production stills: Raymond Lum Inc / Photography
Assistant Editor: Ryan Ermacora
Post production sound edit, sound design and foley: Nolan McNaughton
2017 Post-production intern and colour correction: Yue (Amo) Wang
2022 Post-production, colour correction and digital remastering in 4k and 5k: Susanne Friesen and Ryan Ermacora.
Costumes and wigs courtesy Greater Vancouver Historical Performance Society of B.C.
Shot at the Famee Furlane in Vancouver B.C.
The team is grateful to Richard Metzger at Inspired Cinema for their support of this project.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
We acknowledge the support of the British Columbia Arts Council.
