Experiencing Interruptions?

Descent

Coco Chanel reportedly said, 'A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future'. When I read this quote I was moved to make a poem entirely from perfume brand names (with the occasional linking word). The word 'descent' is an anagram of 'scented'. The film poem explores the descent of so-called civilised societies from innocence and freedom to worship of the machine; the slavery of consumerism, in which designer brands are afforded the status of holy icons.

  • Janet Lees
    Director
  • Janet Lees
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Other
  • Genres:
    Poetry film, videopoetry, artfilm
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 51 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 21, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    Isle of Man
  • Country of Filming:
    Isle of Man
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Janet Lees

Janet Lees is an artist, poet and poetry filmmaker. Her film-based works have been selected for many festivals and screenings, including the Zebra Poetry Film Festival, FilmPoem and the Aesthetica Art Prize.

As an artist she has exhibited around the world. In 2018 she was the artist representing the Isle of Man at the Festival Interceltique in France, with an exhibition comprising art photography, film and poetry.

Janet's poetry is widely published and anthologised. Last year she had two books published: 'House of water', a collection of her poems and art photographs, and 'A bag of sky', the winning collection in the Frosted Fire Firsts prize hosted by the UK's Cheltenham Poetry Festival.

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Director Statement

As an artist, experimental filmmaker and poet, I am expressing and chronicling what it feels like to be human at a time when humanity is having a devastating effect on the ecological systems that sustain life on earth. My work is concerned with creating a mythology for our world; I use the camera as a storytelling machine rather than a documenting device. I think film and photography, alongside poetry, are among the most important and authentic means of creative expression in our times.