A double whammy this time of Valtari Mystery Film Experiment contributions. Although we’re a week late with one, it’s deserved of a mention not only for claiming the prize of overall winner of the fan entries (chosen by Sigur Rós themselves), but also because it’s a brilliant piece. The first film – called “Skinned,” and set to the track “Fjögur píanó” – sees a figure wrestling with themselves and a muddy substance which is engorged over them. Shot evocatively in negative colours, it speaks volumes about the way the human body is perceived and treated in present times while recalling Edvard Munch’s The Scream at points.
The second video – and thirteenth overall in the series – is a somewhat similarly liquidy affair, although more darkly dazzling with beads of light reflected through droplets of water. During the film’s runtime rainwater falls upwards, and an angelic woman floats about in empty space. According to Director Clare Langan, “the film explores the fragility of the human condition, frozen somewhere between life and death.” Watch the video for “Varðeldur” below, along with the one for “Fjögur píanó.”
