RAN SLAVIN

The Insomniac City Cycles / Film

A man is shot in a carpark in Tel Aviv, a woman wakes up from the same dream in Shanghai.

 


The Insomniac City Cycles
Video SD, 68 min, PAL, 16:9, color, sound. Experimental. Fiction
Nocturnal Rainbow Films

Trailer:


Plot:
A man with a bullet wound wakes up with memory disorders in an underground parking lot in Tel Aviv. As he struggles to recall recent events, a woman wakes up in a Shanghai hotel from a similar dream. A fragmented conversation with a pet shop owner on the phone sets off an abstract mystery in Tel Aviv and Shanghai.
Insomniac City has been initially commissioned for the Venice Biennial of Architecture in 2004. It is a cinematic project that from its inauguration has set out to be worked in continuous stages. In 2006 additional shooting was made and the film was re-edited as well as in 2009 and consequently resulted in a long length film release.

“Ran Slavin’s The Insomniac City Cycles work vacillates between reality and the imagination, wakefulness and sleep, and creates an affinity between the psyche and the urban sphere. The film’s fragmented, frenetic and haunted urban topography may be likened to a map of the human soul. The emotional condition of this work’s protagonist, which makes it impossible for him to escape into the realm of sleep, represents an existential state. Paradoxically, this state of continuous wakefulness resembles a dream, or rather a nightmare, in which it is impossible to tell the difference between truth and fiction. When he wakes up in a parking lot with a bullet wound in his shoulder, he cannot remember how he got there, where his pistol is, and whether he is the victim or the murderer. The few instances in which he manages to recall moments from the past involve images of southern Tel Aviv as seen from the ground.” – Sergio Edelsztein, head of the CCA Tel Aviv.

Insomniac City (version3)

An altered map, an imaginary island, like some sort of superfetation along the coasts of Israel: against the backdrop of this scenery, the digital trance of Ran Slavin’s The Insomniac City Cycles takes its course. There is a man in a deserted garage, behaving as in a catatonic world, he realizes he is hurt; from deep down in his psyche, a voice within seems to appear, the man reflects on what has happened, on his own identity. With the very first images of the video, a sense of painful alienation, of psychological vulnerability makes itself felt. The protagonist’s search takes place inside and outside of urban places, on streets blinking with neon signs, in rooms and in halls, representing the convolutions of the mind. Other characters appear from time to time, one after another; reference points intertwine to form a narration, which completely abandons linear story-telling and progresses by means of repeated flash-backs at a dense, tense and unsteady rhythm, carrying everything away with it. A crime brings the story to an end; the video leaves us only with a few hints, but won’t allow us to uncover the secret completely. In the character’s perception distorted by hallucinations, the boundary between day and night becomes blurred; time and space combine into a sensation of dynamic tension. The city – the actual protagonist – shakes, the buildings bend, lift and lower again, penetrate each other. The urban space of the modern megalopolis – seen through the deformed lens of a desperate emotionality – lives as in symbiosis with the protagonist; his instability reflects and reinforces the impression of alienation. The sense of disorientation is conveyed by the fragmentation and the multiplication of viewpoints: we’re in Shanghai, we’re in Tel Aviv, or in any other place not clearly indicated, everything is always in a state of flux. The organic relationship between sound and image contributes to creating an atmosphere in which the habitual patterns of perception, as well as the usual acoustic and visual orientation loose their basis and matter itself seems to continually evolve from one phase to another. Ran Slavin’s images reference crime and fantasy movies but they also exhibit a visionary quality which calls Fritz Lang’s Metropolis or David Lynch’s Inland Empire to mind. The Insomniac City Cycles can be understood as an unreal thriller; a journey through altered levels of consciousness, which allow to transcend everyday life, to access spheres of the subconscious, even though our body and mind guard it as something inalienable, and even though it constitutes unconscious memory. Past and present, the awareness of time and death, worlds which break up into pieces, overlap, and weave into a kaleidoscopic, unreal journey, inwards, inside the many rooms, which exist inside of us; underneath all of this, there lies the difficulty of daily life and the instability, which nests behind conventions and stereotypes. But there is also the habit of a visible continuity, which replaces the overlapping in space, as well as the proper grasp of place, experience and personal identity, which have undergone a transformation: a transformation in the sense of giving up any kind of complacent posture in favor of a direct and emotional perception, of the stretching of one’s own boundaries, of a connection to a wider context: this is about a new approach to understand man’s existence in the world. In Ran Slavin’s piece of work, all of this becomes a psychedelic narration, a creation of anxiety, reflecting the complexity and growing instability which characterize the era we live in. – Gabi Scardi, art curator and critic.
Written and directed by Ran Slavin

Produced by Nocturnal Rainbow Films
Cast: Lee Trifon, Adi Gilad, Yaniv Abraham, Irad Mazliah
Dialogues co-written with Monika Bielskyte
Voice of man in pet shop: Ohad Naharin
Line Producer; Lior Ianai
Lighting; Nimrod Golan
Sound mix; Itzik Cohen
Sound editors; Itzik Cohen, Omri levy, Ran Slavin
Dressing; Maayan Goldman
Makeup; Dorit Cohen
Underwater camera; Alain Daniel
Cinematography, editing, sound design, post production: Ran Slavin
With tracks by:
Charlie Megira – “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”;
Words & Music by Gabi Abudraham, performed by Rami Gabay, Shai Nobelman
Boaz Goldberg, Gabi Abudraham
Fact Records
@c – “61”
Composed and performed by: Miguel Carvalhais and Pedro Tudela
Cronica Records
Third World Love – “Clouds”
Composed and performed by Yonatan Avishai, performed by Avishai Cohen, Omer Avital, Daniel Freedman and Yonatan Avishai
Assal Records/NMC
The Circular Ruins w/ Off The Sky – “Through Solid Shadows”
Composed and performed by Jason Corder and Anthony Paul Kerby
DataObscura Records
Klimek – “Ruined In A Day (Buenos Aires)”
Composed and performed by Sebastian Meissner
Kompakt Records
Ran Slavin – “Dreamzone 537”
Composed and performed by Ran Slavin
From “Nocturnal Rainbow Rising” Cronica Records
Ran Slavin – “Black Dice”
Composed and performed by Ran Slavin
From “Nocturnal Rainbow Rising” Cronica Records
Ran Slavin – “Nocturnal Rainbow Rising”
Composed and performed by Ran Slavin
From “Nocturnal Rainbow Rising” Cronica Records
Ran Slavin – “Interior / Exterior 1+2”
Composed and performed by Ran Slavin
From “Insomniac City” Mille Plateaux Records
Ran Slavin – “In From”
Composed and performed by Ran Slavin
From “Insomniac City” Mille Plateaux Records
The film was produced with the support of Cinema Project, a joint project of The Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts & the Recanati Foundation. Supported by the Cultural Administration at the Israeli Ministry of Science, Culture and Sport and the Israeli Council for Cinema
Supported by the Israel Lottery Council for the Arts
A Nocturnal Rainbow Production
Filmed in the cities of Tel Aviv and Shanghai

Thanks:
The Rabinovich Foundation for the arts – Cinema Project, Israel Lottery Council for the Arts, Sheraton Tel Aviv, Giora Einy, Alon Garbuz, Yoav Abramovich, Yoav Barkai, Danny Spaer, Daniel Shabtai Milo, Itzik Cohen, Omri Levi, Irad Mazliah, Avi Banon, Monika Bielskyte, Ohad Naharin, Shiri Slavin, Sigal Barnir, Yael Moria, Rei Elbaz, On Air, Michal Shalit, Keren Arnaldes, Bernd Lennartz, Achim Szepanski, Itai Meir, Shablul pet shop, Shlomit Slavin, Ritsko, All the crew, Oded Horowitz – Orlando Films.
Special thanks to Daniel Shabtai Milo, Monika Bielskyte
A very special thank you to Itzik Cohen

Shown previously here:

2014
18.9 at 12:30 pm. at Sadnaot Haamanim, Tel Aviv
27.1.2014 Screening at The Store, Tel Aviv, 21:00
 
2012
 
12/6 – 12/7 Insomniac City Cycles installation at “The perspiration of illusion” solo show at Galerija Vartai, Vilnius, Lithuania
2/6 – 2/9 The Insomniac City Cycles installation at the exhibition “Augmented”. “Al Hatsuk” Gallery, Netania Israel
15/2/12 Insomniac City Cycles screening at Abaton Kino, Hamburg
 
2011
 
17.3/11 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Cinema Babylon as part of Maerzmusic 2011 Festival of Contemporary Music, Berlin
 
2009-2010
 
2/12/10 The Insomniac City Cycles screens at the Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin/Madrid, at the Centre Pompidou, Paris
10-14/11/10 The Insomniac City Cycles at the 14th international short film festival Winterthur, Switzerland
11-18/9/10 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Split International Festival of New Film, Croatia
31/8/10 The Insomniac City Cycles at the 5th CineFantasy film festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil
21/8/10 Insomniac City installation at the Haifa Museum “Over View” Israeli Video 2000-2010, curated by Sergio Edelsztein, Haifa, Israel
27/5/10 The Insomniac City Cycles screening in Curitiba, Brazil, organized by Itao Cultural as part of the “Mostravideo program
26/5/10 The Insomniac City Cycles screening in Belo Horizonte Brazil, organized by Itaœ Cultural as part of the “Mostravideo program
2/5/10 The Insomniac City Cycles screening at Rota Flora, Hamburg
26/4/10 The Insomniac City Cycles screening + Q&A at the Center For Contemporary Arts, Kalisher 5 st, Tel Aviv
7.12.09 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Haifa Cinematheque
25.11.09 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Third Ear Cinema, Tel Aviv IL
18.11.09 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Third Ear Cinema, Tel Aviv IL
11.11.09 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Third Ear Cinema, Tel Aviv IL
31.10.09 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque IL
24.10.09 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque IL
22.10.09 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Haifa Cinematheque IL
20.10.09 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Shderot (Darom) Cinematheque IL
18.10.09 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Shderot (Darom) Cinematheque IL
17.10.09 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque IL
11.10.09 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Jerusalem Cinematheque IL
9.10.09 The Insomniac City Cycles premiers at the Icon Film Festival, Cinematheque Tel Aviv IL
8.10.09 The Insomniac City Cycles at the Rosh-Pina Cinematheque IL
6.10.09 The Insomniac City Cycles pre premier at the at the Icon Film Festival, Cinematheque Tel Aviv IL
2009- 2010 Insomniac City (V3) is presented on Souvenirs from Earth, the European Cable Network, France and Germany
11.3 > 29.3.09 Insomniac City 3 channel installation at Videoformes 2009, Clermont-Ferrand, France
22.11.08 > 7.3.09 Insomniac City 3 channel Video installation at the Petach Tikva Museum Of Art, Israel
8.11 The Insomniac City Cycles screens at the Contemporary Arts Centre, Plateaux Festival, Torun, Poland
26.6.09 The Insomniac City Cycles screens at the 45th Pesaro Film Festival, Italy
 
2008
 
June to September 2008: Insomniac City screens at the International Triennial of Contemporary Art, Prague
23-25.5 Insomniac City screens at Audiovisiva festival, Milan
15.3 Insomniac City screens at Netwerk, center for contemporary art, Aalst, Belgium

2007

6.12 Insomniac City screens at the International Festival for Cinema and Technologica, Florida USA
23.11.07 – Insomniac City screens at Torino Film Festival
15.11.07 – Insomniac City screens at The kassel Documentary Film Festival
04.8 – 24.8 Insomniac City screens at the “Transport(s) Urbain(s)” Exhibition, Saint Lizier, France
25-30.6.07 Insomniac City screens at the Babylon Movie Theatre, Rencontre Internationales, Berlin
5.5.07 Insomniac City screens at the Circulo de Bellas Artes, Rencontres Internationales, Madrid
 
2006
 
14.12.06 – 14.12.06 – Insomniac City screens at the Jeu De Paume, at the Rencontres internationales Paris/Berlin
30.11.06 – Insomniac City screens at the Jeu De Paume, at the Rencontres internationales Paris/Berlin, Paris
28.11.06 – Insomniac City screens at the Cabanis Media Center in Toulouse, France
27.11.06 – Insomniac City screens at Electrosa, Rosa, Jerusalem
22.11.06 – Insomniac City screens at the Unsound music festival, Krakow
17.11.06 – Insomniac City screens at the Wormhole Saloon, The Whitechapel Art Gallery, London
13-19.10.06 – Insomniac City screens at the Big Screen, Liverpool
10.06 – Insomniac City screens at Pulsar, The Caracas Contemporary art museum, Venezuela
8.9.06 – Insomniac City screens at Double Exposure, Makor Gallery, New York
31.9.06 – Insomniac City screens at the international biennal (the MIVEAM) Montreal, Canada
20.9.06 – Insomniac City screens at the Liverpool Biennale, Liverpool
16-17.9.06 – Insomniac City screens at Espace Croise during the “journes du patrimoine” Roubaix,ÊFrance
29-31.8.06 – Insomniac City screens at C.Sides, International Convention Center, Jerusalem
10.8.06 – Insomniac City screens at “Intervention in public space”, Jerusalem
8-10.8.06 – Insomniac City screens at Isea 2006 – international symposium of electronic arts / Zero One San Jose, California
20.5.06 – Insomniac City screens at “Details of Sound”, Ukraine
8-14.5.06 – Insomniac City two channel video installation at the Media Nox gallery, Maribor, Slovenia
6.4.06 – Insomniac City screens at Ozen5, the Third Ear’s cinema, thursday at 21:40, Tel Aviv
1.4.06 – Insomniac City screens at 66 East, Centre for Urban Culture, Amsterdam
1.4.06 – Insomniac City screens at Desi, Nurnberg, DE
25.3.06 – Insomniac City (part 3) screening at ‘Hors Pistes’ medium length film festival, the Pompidou Center, Paris
22.3.06 – Insomniac City screens at on Israeli TV, Channel 2 ,Israel
2.3.06 – Insomniac City screens at The ‘Third Ears’ new 5 cinema complex, Tel Aviv IL
8-23.2.06 – Insomniac City screens at the West London Synagogue, London UK
12.1.06 – Insomniac City screens at Projekt Migration, Cologne DE
 
2005
 
25.12 – Insomniac City screens at The Upgrades ‘Architectural Patterns’, Center for Contemporary Arts, Tel Aviv IL
18.12 – Insomniac City screens at Documentaire Sur Grand Ecran, Paris FR
17.11 – Insomniac City screens at the Jeu De Paume national museum, Rencontre Internationales, Paris FR
5.11 – Insomniac City screens at the Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
21-30. 10 – Insomniac City screens at the 27th festival Cinema Mediterranean de Montpellier, FR
21.9 – Insomniac City screens at Ctrl_Alt_Del, 9th International Istanbul Biennial, Turkey
2.9 – Insomniac City screens at the Jerusalem Cinematheque, IL
16.6.05 – Insomniac City screens at Smadar Cinema, Jerusalem IL
17.5.05 – Insomniac City screens at the Rubin Museum, Tel Aviv IL
10.4.05 – Insomniac City screens at the Jerusalem Cinematheque, IL
11.3.05 – Insomniac City screens at the Haifa Cinematheque IL
9.1.05 – Insomniac City screens at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque IL
 
2004
 
Insomniac City installation at the Israeli Pavilion, 9th Venice Biennale of Architecture, Venice, Italy

Recent works

Bangkok Kid Lp video’s

Radiances

Paradise Now (Vol1)

SWELL / mini series

6480 Days / film

Four Dreams

The New Artificial Jew

Call For Dreams / film

Temporary Intervention / installation

Newtopia / digital outdoor show

Screenings in Times Square NYC

Solo show, Beita Gallery / installation