Catching Birds of Paradise

2018 | short film (11 min.)

The film was developed as part of the graduation work of Hanneke Klaver. The film is a result of experiments with movement of the human body in connection with air.

“In the great highland of new Guinea there are 42 different species of birds of paradise. Each more bizarre than the last. During mating season, the male birds execute various dances to attract female birds. They change colour, put out their feathers and blow themselves up. It’s an oddly mesmerizing display.’’ - David Attenborough.

Catching Birds of Paradise is inspired by the movement of exotic birds. Their strange rituals and dances are considered to be extraordinary. Looking through the eyes of the bird, the movements of a human might be just as incomprehensible to them. This given resulted in a short film in which the protagonist moves through a landscape in pursuit of catching air. It is a performative experiment in which body and materials come together in reoccurring movements.