William Kentridge: "Breathe" | Art21 "Exclusive"

Episode #091: Shot in his Johannesburg studio in South Africa, William Kentridge reveals the process behind the video work "Breathe" — a component of the larger project "(REPEAT) from the beginning / Da Capo" that debuted at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice and at the nearby Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa in San Barnaba, Italy.

Having witnessed first-hand one of the twentieth century's most contentious struggles—the dissolution of apartheid—William Kentridge brings the ambiguity and subtlety of personal experience to public subjects most often framed in narrowly defined terms. Using film, drawing, sculpture, animation, and performance, he transmutes sobering political events into powerful poetic allegories. Aware of myriad ways in which we construct the world by looking, Kentridge often uses optical illusions to extend his drawings-in-time into three dimensions.

Learn more about William Kentridge: http://www.art21.org/artists/william-kentridge

VIDEO | Producer: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Camera: Bob Elfstrom. Sound: Ray Day. Editor: Paulo Padilha & Mark Sutton. Artwork Courtesy: William Kentridge.

[intro music]

[background voices]

Okay just make sure the door's almost shut now

'cause there's a lot of wind around.

[background voices]

Natalie, can you push the table down?

It's alright, alright; actually good.

Okay.

Okay

[inaudible] ...Okay.

Everybody standing by?

Okay.

Um, so Linda is going to go like this

you're gonna say, "Rolling now,

then I say, "Drop paper."

Then I'll do the first, and when you see me start to swat

then you start to swat.

And then, you gotta keep it low, sideways

to try to keep everything swirling.

And then, Linda, you keep on dropping

handfuls.

Okay.

Right, everybody ready?

Okay, let's give it a go.

Okay, wait.

And, drop!

Six, okay hard now.

Okay, keep going.

Okay, now stop, stop.

And, you can switch the camera off.

[inaudible] it's not impossible.

It's fine.

Not impossible

[exit music]