TOTALITY

Celebrating beauty of Cultural and Environmental Diversity of our Planet, Universe and inhabiting Life Forms, TOTALITY is a
short film by JoAnn Gillerman. It is an exploratory experimental textured and layered filmic journey with variations of totalities revisited, a montage taking us on location around the world to be in the shadow of Total Solar Eclipses in varied cultures and environments. Immersively experienced and recorded on-location during Total Solar Eclipses in Hawai’i/USA/1991, Bolivia/1994, India/1995, Venezuela/1998, Türkiye/1999, Libya/2006, Siberia/2008 and USA/2017, TOTALITY gives a creatively inspired glimpse into these universal humbling, powerful and awe-inspiring natural events that are surreal and very real at the same time. Reflected in myths and folklore, it is no wonder that these universal phenomena are frightening and unsettling for peoples throughout cultures, history, and time, trying to give reason for the sudden disappearance of the Sun. (TOTALITY is available in Standard HD video and Immersive/360/Virtual Reality.) We see our Earth in motion and appreciate its beauty in the astronomical cosmos.

  • JoAnn Gillerman
    Director
  • JoAnn Gillerman
    Producer
  • Sun Moon Earth
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Documentary, Experimental, Short, Web / New Media
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 10, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Bolivia, Plurinational State of, China, India, Libya, Russian Federation, Turkey, United States, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    varied:HD, 360/VirtualRealty, 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - JoAnn Gillerman

Artist and Professor JoAnn (Jody) Gillerman creates interdisciplinary work exploring intersections of art, science, culture and technology. As our world moves toward extremes of technology and paradigm shifts that can outstrip ethics and environmental sustainability, her creative art, science and cultural investigations reach across boundaries, creating ecologically aware and globally conscious hybrids, collaborations and alliances. Her intermedia works combine electronic media, computers, video, light and digital imagery to create exhibits/installations, video, immersions, digital imagery and NFT. Her works are in collections, exhibited nationally/internationally in museums, science centers, galleries, public venues, broadcasts and virtually online. Inspired by passion and the temporal nature of natural phenomenon, she travels the world producing works that capture change – capturing events often related to total solar eclipses and active volcanic lava flows. Social Practice works explore social change, bioethics, ecology, urban eco-literacy, environmental justice and bringing STEAM (Art/Science/Culture/Tech) experiences and education to underserved disadvantaged communities through Art-Pod/nonprofit. Current works include immersive environments, Virtual Reality, NFT and BioArt with live bioluminescent algae. Professor: California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA., Director: Viper Vertex (Interactive Museum Exhibits), Director/CEO: Art Pod (nonprofit). Education: MFA/Chicago Art Institute. BA/Duke University, NC

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Director Statement

My media art works explore experimental often out-of-the-box forms and formats defying categorization, though a commonality within my works is the intersection of art, science, culture and technology. I personally record and create original material used in my works. I use a variety of cameras, varying formats, custom created mounts, on-location field recordings of natural events, animation, and image compositing. A Fine Arts background in varied interdisciplinary media, extensive video processing and synthesis (having built a video synthesizer in them mid-70’s,) and extensive image manipulation and compositing across media, interactive installation and exhibits – all stretch boundaries of the digital media arena. My works are often abstract explorations, avant-garde, virtual reality and immersions combined with more usual forms, experimenting with analog and digital mediums and media itself.