Ries Straver
Ries Straver is a Dutch video maker and director based in Italy. He is currently Head of the Video Department at Fabrica, Benetton Group’s Communication Research Center. He has written, produced and directed dozens of independent and commissioned films.
At Netmage.11 in Bologna, Straver premiered his short film, LOFFA assisted by Adam Liever, a South African (who lives in the UK) .
In an introductory statement in the programme he writes:
“Sometimes life deals you a dirty nappy.
How many times have you ever sat on an enemy’s knee and fed them a carrot with a hammer only to realize that that enemy was inside you all along, and now you’re choking on your own carrot?”
The film is quite funny. A man who looks a bit like an Italian Serge Gainsbourg stares impassively at the camera – then we see some glimpses of how he spends his day, exercising in his sad white underpants and wondering what he can do to make an impression on the world (“I felt like a dog that cannot bark”).
Then, a spark of inspiration strikes – he finds the word ‘loffa’ in the dictionary.
‘Loffare’ – Italian verb meaning to fart without sound.
‘Loffa’ (noun) – a soundless fart, silent flatulence.
The man discovers that he can capture his silent farts in a small bugle and the sound can then be released in public (hopefully without the accompanying smell).
This gives his life a new purpose.
The audio created for this is created by a man (Staver?) making a drone seemingly by breathing into a long tube attached to a hollow white buttock-shaped object (behind which the other man sits).
For reasons best know to themselves the two are dressed in long gowns more suited to a trek in the desert than a multi media performance. Their faces are hidden inside these hoods.
The fake white arse looks as if it should be inflatable kept expecting to expand (it actually seemed to be made of paper maché).
So this 20 minute slot can be summarised as a monotonous drone soundtrack to film about finding enlightenment in preserving farts.
In other words, farts for art’s sake.
Useful related web links:
The World of Farts
