yukuzniets

The 3rd International Video Art and Short Film Festival «VAU-Fest» invites filmmakers and video artists to take part in the video contest!

“VAU-Fest 2012” is dedicated to the concept of “reflection” which nowadays has almost lost its original meaning and is mostly perceived as a common phenomenon. But the elusive power of reflection is what made mythical Narcissus neglect his life. Jacques Lacan’s concept of the “mirror stage” describes the formation of the Ego via the process of identification with one’s own specular image. You may wonder what follows this stage. Perhaps it is the desire to look over the edge of reflection, like Lewis Carroll’s Alice: “how nice it would be if we could only get through into Looking-Glass House! I’m sure it’s got, oh! such beautiful things in it!”

Mirror surfaces are the media that instantly convert artists into the audience and vice versa. Due to reflections in installations and performances Dan Graham communicates with his spectators. Alexander Gnilitsky used the properties of distorting mirrors in video art and paintings, experimenting with the perception of human body.
Some phenomena exist only when reflected. Hidden things become visible through the prism of consciousness and the optical mechanisms of camera. But can we truly see ourselves and the universe through these reflections? Is the world behind the looking-glass really hidden somewhere? Or is it just a subjective projection?

You can present your own video reflections at “VAU-Fest 2012” in one of the following nominations:

Experimental video

Video art

Video installation

Animation

Fiction

Documentary

Submission deadline is June 1, 2012.

Maximum running time of submissions should last no longer than 25 minutes. There are no running time limits for the special nomination “video installation”. Only digital films are accepted.

“VAU-Fest 2012” will be held on August 3-5 in the picturesque town Ukrainka near Kiev, Ukraine.

For more details please visit http://vaufest.com.ua/

“VAU-Fest” is a non-commercial cultural organization, supporting creative collaboration and promoting contemporary media art on both local and international levels. Since 2010 “VAU-Fest” has presented video art works from all over the world and established partnership with several international experimental film festivals, including “Vallecas Puerta del Cine” (Madrid, Spain), “Miden” (Kalamata, Greece), “Videoholica” (Varna, Bulgaria), “Kinofest” (Bucharest, Romania), International Kansk Video Festival (Russia), “Docudays.UA” (Ukraine) and others. The program of the best VAU-Fest 2010/11 films was screened at “Vallecas Puerta del Cine” (Spain), “Lomofest”, “ChernihivPhotoFest”, “Artpole” and “Trypilske Kolo” Festivals (Ukraine).