Cristobal Catalan (Spain) – Res Nullius, 2014, 3:46
‘Res Nullius’, Latin for ‘no-body’s body’ or ‘no-body’s property’, explores forms and syntax of the ‘refugee’. Made entirely of still images of the human body, this short piece is a surreal journey into the dynamics of space, pilgrimage and deterritorialisation.
The human race is compelled to own lands, bodies and ‘things’. Since a ‘thing’ that is completely lost or abandoned is ‘res nullius’, it therefore belongs to the first visitor. The film uses symbolism to explore issues of what is one’s private (or public) space, the movement of a refugee…endless until ‘home’ defined.
This film was made in response to the disturbing footage of refugees fleeing Africa and Syria, exploring notions of dispossession, transmigration and travel as a form of pilgrimage.
Cristobal Catalan
is a visual artist and researcher interested in exploring spatial and spectatorial subjectivities in a world of hegemonic signs and boundaries. Currently working with performance artists around the world, he is interested in the interplay between embodiment, nation and spectatorship in a world of shifting boundaries.