Paul de Nooijer; Transformation by Holding Time, 1976

The special connection between Paul de Nooijer’s films and his photographs is aptly demonstrated by the four-minute 16mm film Transformation by Holding Time and the arrangement of Polaroids produced during and documented by the film that stand as a framed piece. In the film we watch from the side as a photographer takes a series of fifteen pictures of the motionless woman before the camera, posting the still-developing Polaroids after each shot until they completely obscure the movie camera’s lens. The process underscores de Nooijer’s long standing interest in perception and framework, and the sharp teals and faded greens of the final pictures represent his tendency to use unrealistic color in the creation of his work. The work also suggests de Nooijer’s characteristic surrealist touches, not to mention his penchant for Polaroid film. Produced with the assistance of his wife, Françoise de Nooijer, and featuring music by his brother, Jan de Nooijer, the film won Mention Spécial du Jury at the Festival International du Jeune Cinema Hyeres, France (1978) and the Hauptpreis of Westdeutsche Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, Germany (1979).

— Kendra Greene; MoCP Chicago

fortführend: Ingo Petzke; Besprechung im Rahmen der Westdeutschen Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, 1979