Andrei
Severny
Andrei Severny is a filmmaker, photographer and video artist whose work operates on multiple levels, engaging both intuition and intellect.
Selected films, documentaries and video installations.
Andrei
Gravita
tion
A synergy of dance and cinema — the story of creation, inner struggle and transformation.
Synopsis
Gravitation is a synergy of dance and cinema. It features Diana Vishneva, principal dancer of the Mariinsky Ballet and the American Ballet Theater.
The film is the story of creation, inner struggle and transformation. Calligraphic black-and-white images are rich in metaphors exploring the notions of time and space, movement and light.
Filmed with Phantom Flex 4K cameras at the Alvin Ailey Theater in New York.
Stills
Key Cast & Crew
Diana Vishneva
Principal Dancer
Principal dancer of both the Mariinsky Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. A graduate of the Vaganova Academy, she won both the Gold Medal and the Grand Prix at the 1994 Prix de Lausanne — a feat never repeated — and has since danced the lead roles of the international repertoire at the Bolshoi, the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, La Scala and the Paris Opéra. People's Artist of Russia, Benois de la Danse laureate and winner of six Golden Masks; in 2010 she founded the Diana Vishneva Foundation.
Steve Romano
Director of Photography
A Brooklyn-born DP and Phantom high-speed camera pioneer who beta-tested the Phantom HD for Vision Research and helped shape the Phantom Flex — the 4K camera Gravitation was shot on, at up to 1,000 frames per second. Founder of Velocity Media Systems and winner of the ECA grand prize in cinematography.
Rem Khass
Writer, Executive Producer, Original Idea
Producer and architect, founder of Monitor magazine. Gravitation is based on his original idea.
Cast & Crew
- Director, Editor
- Andrei Severny
- Principal Dancer
- Diana Vishneva
- Choreographer
- Mauro Bigonzetti
- Writer, Executive Producer
- Rem Khass
- Director of Photography
- Steve Romano
- Editor
- Sam Neave
What They Say
“It is a really beautiful film. The body swimming slowly in the universe reminds me of the performing body in Japanese Noh. By catching the light, a part of the body becomes line-shaped and melted silently into the universe like an air. This shapeless world inspires my imagination.”Toyo Ito, Architect
“I admired enormously the film and the cosmic evolution of our humanitarian concerns. This work concerns all people. Wonderful film.”Carolyn Carlson, Dancer, Choreographer
“Motion is seamless and constant. Its fluidity is close to my heart — sophisticated mystery rather than overt understanding in bright light.”Ross Lovegrove, Designer, Innovator
“Mesmerizing, brilliant and truly beautiful. Bravo.”Edouard Getáz, Producer, Filmmaker
“I enjoyed the film. I really liked the use of contrast and shadows. It was very effective.”Raffaello D'Andrea
Premiere
Journey
Italian Premiere
Official selections in Italy include Roma CinemaDOC and the Montelupo Film Festival.
Marfa Film Festival, USA
Official selection.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The film's space imagery prompted NASA to feature it at the Houston Cinema Arts Festival, where it was a CineSpace finalist — a program introduced by astronaut Scott Kelly from the International Space Station.
Santa Fe Film Festival
Official selection.
Golden Palm & Rising Star Awards
Winner of the Golden Palm Award in Mexico and the Rising Star Award at the Canada International Film Festival.
Walter Reade Theater, New York
Selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Dance Films Association for Dance on Camera.
Awards
- Winner — Golden Palm Award, Mexico International Film Festival, 2016
- Winner — Rising Star Award, Canada International Film Festival, 2016
Notes
- Selected by more than fifteen international film festivals.
- Filmed on Phantom Flex 4K high-speed cameras at the Alvin Ailey Theater, New York.
SYNCHRONICITY FILMS AND THE DIANA VISHNEVA FOUNDATION PRESENT AN ANDREI SEVERNY FILM “GRAVITATION: VARIATION IN TIME AND SPACE” · DIANA VISHNEVA · CHOREOGRAPHER MAURO BIGONZETTI · EXECUTIVE PRODUCER REM KHASS · EDITORS ANDREI SEVERNY, SAM NEAVE · DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE ROMANO · JIB PHOTOGRAPHY MIKE MILIA · GAFFER MATT TOMKO · GRIP GT WOMACK · DIT SASHA BURDETT · AC GLEN CHIN · SHOT AT THE ALVIN AILEY THEATER · WRITTEN BY REM KHASS · DIRECTED BY ANDREI SEVERNY
Digital
Demons
A documentary novella about designer and 3D artist Tobias Gremmler, who reimagines the human body through digital media.
Synopsis
Part of a film series built on the idea that time is cyclical — one may feel that the future we step into is a long-forgotten memory. The series is a collection of documentary novellas about contemporary artists and thinkers who work with the fabric of the future, their creations emerging on the boundaries of the digital and the physical.
This year Tobias Gremmler, Bart Hess and a powerhouse team collaborate on a massive stage performance piece, Sleeping Beauty Dreams. The stories of the films are about them, their creations and their work on this latest project.
The German-born designer and 3D artist currently lives in Hong Kong and frequently works with the Chinese Opera. An early pioneer of digital media, motion graphics and interface design, Gremmler uses innovative tools to reimagine the possibilities for the human body, often pushing the limits of what the latest technology can achieve. Brands such as BMW, Apple, Philips, Siemens and Sony have all turned to Gremmler for his remarkable insights and artistic eye.
His personal projects span theatre composition, interactive installations, lectures and workshops. He has authored multiple books, including cyberBionic and Grids for the Dynamic Image. For the Sleeping Beauty Dreams production, Gremmler created the 3D characters of the demons.
Cast & Crew
- Directed by
- Andrei Severny
- Featuring
- Tobias Gremmler
Press
“Theatre needs to stay open to integrate technology that already impacts our society. The constant flexibility and transformation of theatre is a necessary precondition to establish a stage that reflects the current society.”Tobias Gremmler
Colliding
Opposites
A documentary novella about artist and designer Bart Hess, whose work emerges on the boundary of the digital and the physical.
Synopsis
Part of a film series built on the idea that time is cyclical — one may feel that the future we step into is a long-forgotten memory. The series is a collection of documentary novellas about contemporary artists and thinkers who work with the fabric of the future, their creations emerging on the boundaries of the digital and the physical.
This year Bart Hess, Tobias Gremmler and a powerhouse team collaborate on a massive stage performance piece, Sleeping Beauty Dreams. The stories of the films are about them, their creations and their work on this latest project.
Cast & Crew
- Directed by
- Andrei Severny
- Featuring
- Bart Hess
Buried
Seeds
A timeless, true story of human passion, willpower and resolve in the face of adversity.
Synopsis
Buried Seeds is a timeless and true story of human passion, willpower and resolve in the face of adversity. The film follows Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna on his journey as an immigrant.
Born with clubbed feet in Amritsar, Vikas is bullied by his classmates. He takes refuge in his grandmother's kitchen and discovers his passion for the vivid traditions of Indian cuisine.
At the age of 29, Vikas moves to New York with nothing in his pocket and ends up in a homeless shelter. Through years of struggle and hard work, he opens his first Indian restaurant in Manhattan.
Vikas Khanna grows to become one of the most influential chefs in the world and a cultural ambassador of his nation. While wealth and glory may be transient, what truly defines him is the will to create himself every single day.
From the Director
This film is a story of a man destined to travel outside of his troubled native land and outside of his own boundaries. It is a story of a disadvantaged child in pursuit of his dream, a story that was familiar to me. I came to New York from Russia just a few years after Vikas moved from Amritsar. I was born in the USSR and I saw its collapse. From the windows of my home I watched cars burning and a tank firing at the Parliament. I witnessed my country transform.
Since early childhood my dream was to become a photographer and a filmmaker. Reality would always push the dream away. During a road trip across the US with my friend we stopped to visit the Grand Canyon. We stood at the edge. Rain drops falling. I held an umbrella and a bolt of lightning went through me. I was not hurt, but it made me think about life in a whole different way. I went home to Moscow, saved money, finished all my business, and came to New York to make films.
New York is made of stories like Vikas' or mine. New York also teaches you to be more resilient, to take action, to take responsibility, not to give in to adversity.
I am grateful to Vikas for allowing me to tell his story. The interviews that we recorded during the last two years were deep and personal. I hope this film will make the viewers think and look at their own lives and dreams in a new light.
Buried Seeds gives a fresh look at the American dream at this difficult time in history when immigration is being questioned. When the media is full of stories of mistrust and hatred between nations, nationalities, social groups and neighbors — this is the time to see what unites us.
The seeds are inside each of us. Governments, corporations or people may claim that they own you. They may try to intimidate, manipulate and control you. The truth will prevail in spite of the destruction. The seeds will grow strong. The old “you” will die to give space to the new “you” — a particle in the long chain of generations, a speck of dust of collective wisdom and an everlasting sacrifice for those who come after.
Stills
Key Cast & Crew
Vikas Khanna
Himself
One of the most beloved Indian chefs in the world — an award-winning Michelin-starred chef and host of MasterChef India, Twist of Taste and Mega Kitchens. He has hosted events for President Barack Obama, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Pope Francis and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Deutsche Welle named him one of the ten most iconic chefs of all time. A goodwill ambassador for the Smile Foundation, he lives in New York City.
Julia Kent
Composer, Music Performer
A New York cellist and composer whose album Temporal the Guardian called “epic.” She has scored films, theatre and dance, and toured Europe and North America — Primavera Sound, Donau Festival, Meltdown, Unsound, Reeperbahn, CTM and Mutek.
Stephen Cardone
Co-Editor, Cinematographer
Assistant editor on the BRIC pilot The Show About the Show (dir. Caveh Zahedi); has worked with Academy Award–nominated Storyville Films on My Italian Secret and Shadowman.
Per Østerby
Sound Mixer
A Copenhagen documentary producer, cameraman, editor and sound technician focused on the authentic representation of people and cultures, including the award-winning Arte production “Schicksal der Mondbäre.”
Eli Cohn
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
A Brooklyn sound designer and re-recording mixer whose work includes Shaul Schwarz & Christina Clusiau's Trophy and Andrew Dosunmu's Where Is Kyra?
Cast & Crew
- Directed by
- Andrei Severny
- Featuring
- Vikas Khanna
- Editors
- Andrei Severny, Stephen Cardone
- Director of Photography
- Andrei Severny, Antonio Pacheco
- Additional Cinematography
- Rohit Gaonkar, Stephen Cardone, Lourdes Severny
- Original Score
- Julia Kent, Ustad Rafique Khan, Chethana Acharya, Kawalpreet
- Sound Mixer
- Per Østerby
- Re-Recording Mixer
- Eli Cohn
- Co-Producer
- Jitendra Mishra
- Distributor
- FilmKaravan
Behind the Scenes
Premieres & Awards
Journey
Filming in New York City
Production begins in New York.
Filming in India
The crew films in Amritsar, Manipal and Rishikesh.
Cannes Film Festival
Andrei Severny and Vikas Khanna present the trailer at the 70th Cannes Film Festival; the event is opened by India's ambassador to France, Dr. Mohan Kumar. The trailer is seen by over a million people in its first two weeks.
Asia Society, New York
Vikas Khanna and Andrei Severny in conversation with Asia Society Executive Vice President Tom Nagorski.
Asia Society Screening & Q&A
A special screening of the feature at the Asia Society, New York.
Watch the Q&A ↗Five awards at Mindfield, Albuquerque
Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score.
Best Documentary, Houston
Andrei Severny receives the Best Documentary Award at the Indian Film Festival of Houston.
National Geographic premiere
Buried Seeds premieres on National Geographic on India's Independence Day, translated into six languages.
Disney+ Hotstar release
Streamed in six languages across India and Southeast Asia.
Awards
- Indian Film Festival of Houston — Best Documentary
- Mindfield Film Festival, Albuquerque — Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score
- Food Film Fest, Bergamo — Best Documentary Feature
- 8th Noida International Film Festival — Best Feature Documentary (Jury)
- New York Cinematography Awards — Best Documentary, Best Cinematography
- Virgin Spring Cinefest — Gold Award
- Indian Cine Film Festival — Award of Excellence
- Accolade Competition — Award of Excellence, Special Mention
- European Cinematography Awards
- Canadian Cinematography Awards
- Florence Film Awards
- Master of Art Film Festival, Sofia
- Moving Parts Film Festival
- The Oaks International Film Festival
- Diamond Film Awards
- Wallachia International Film Festival
- Cult Critic Movie Awards
- Calcutta International Cult Film Festival
- Motion Pictures International Film Festival
- Crown Wood International Film Festival
- Around International Film Festival
- Gold Movie Awards
- Thinking Hat Fiction Challenge
- Finalist — Author's International Film Festival / FIC AUTOR
- Finalist — Ambrosia Food & Drink Film Festival
Festivals
- Venice International Film Festival (Venice Days)
- Jaipur International Film Festival
- Indian Film Festival of Houston
- New Delhi Film Festival
- ARFF Berlin
- ARFF Amsterdam
- Indisches Filmfestival Stuttgart
- IndoGerman Filmweek
- Chambal International Film Festival
- Noida International Film Festival
- Wallachia International Film Festival
- Indian Cine Film Festival, Mumbai
- Under the Stars International Film Festival
- Jaipur Film World
- The Next Level International Film Festival
- Innuendo International Film Festival
- Master of Art Film Festival
- Fiorenzo Serra Film Festival
- Chagrin Documentary Film Festival
- Kaaryat International Film Festival of India
- Global Indian Film Festival
- Dumbo Film Festival
- WOW Film Festival Tunisia
- Migranti Film Festival
- New Jersey Indian & International Film Festival
- KinoDUEL International Film Festival
- Rome Independent Prisma Awards
- The Monkey Bread Tree Film Awards
Articles & Press
Khanna, da migrante a chef stellato — La Repubblica
Dall'India all'America: la vera storia dello chef Vikas Khanna — Cinecittà News
Interview with Andrei Severny — Cineuropa
Andrei Severny & Vikas Khanna, Venezia 74 — FRED — The Festival Insider
Buried Seeds: an evening with Chef Vikas Khanna — Asia Society
SYNCHRONICITY FILMS PRESENTS AN ANDREI SEVERNY FILM “BURIED SEEDS” VIKAS KHANNA · EDITORS ANDREI SEVERNY, STEPHEN CARDONE · DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY ANDREI SEVERNY, ANTONIO PACHECO · SOUND MIXER PER ØSTERBY · SOUND RE-RECORDING MIXER ELI COHN · LINE PRODUCERS SHIVAM KAPUR, DEEPALI KAMPANI, NIRITI NAGPAL · CO-PRODUCER JITENDRA MISHRA · DISTRIBUTOR FILMKARAVAN · DIRECTED BY ANDREI SEVERNY
Inside
Risk
A cinematic, interactive experience that places the viewer inside a true high-stakes story.
Synopsis
Inside Risk: Shadows of Medellín is a feature-length interactive film that immerses the viewer in a true story of trust and decision-making under extreme pressure, blending cinematic storytelling with real-time choice.
The project has since grown into InsideRisk — a behavioral-intelligence platform that uses highly immersive, cinematic experiences to reveal and strengthen leadership behavior. It is used today by some of the most demanding organizations in the world for assessment, training and leadership development.
Cast & Crew
- Directed by
- Andrei Severny
- Format
- Interactive cinematic experience
Awards & Screenings
- Praised by Bruno Giussani, Michael Rey (60 Minutes) and Bertrand Piccard as a singular moment of introspection.
Condition
A meditative psychological drama set in an apocalyptic atmosphere — a battle for survival, salvation, sound and nature.
Synopsis
Condition is a 2011 science-fiction film, directed by Andrei Severny and produced by Amir Naderi — a meditative psychological drama set in an apocalyptic atmosphere.
The story is a sensory battle between two women: the sound therapist Mary Taggert and her patient, a young disturbed woman, Alaska. The doctor evacuates with her patient, driving away from the city toward an unspecified northern territory near the border. Having run out of gas, the two are stranded in a mysterious, rough and rocky wilderness by the ocean, where it becomes a battle for survival and a struggle with inner wounds — and salvation through sound and nature.
The psychologically complex, slow narrative relies on sequences of abstract images one might expect to see in a museum or gallery. No musical instruments were used in any of the sounds heard in the film.
Condition was shot on location in New York City and along the northern shoreline of Maine.
From the Director
A voice, a few notes, or waves rolling on the shoreline can trigger profound emotions. For many years scientists have tried to understand the power of sound, which to this day remains a mystery. A handful of researchers use sound waves to address various illnesses — practices not yet embraced by mainstream medicine. I hope Condition will broaden the dialogue on this subject.
The psychological impact of catastrophic events, intentionally left undefined, forms an important theme of the film. Anywhere in today's world we are subject to stresses caused by man-made disasters. This environment creates a certain condition in all of us; in this sense, we are all prone to some form of post-traumatic stress.
Another meaning of condition, prominent in the Russian language, is a certain emotional state — non-verbal and transcendent. A good part of the film explores this realm, a space in which, absent words and dialogue, a more spiritual meaning emerges. Here, narrative is secondary to feeling and atmosphere, expressed in a way possible only in cinema.
Cast
- Antonella Lentini
- Alaska
- Jessica Kaye
- Dr. Mary Taggert
- Steve Moshier
- Fisherman
Cast & Crew
- Writer, Director, Cinematographer, Editor
- Andrei Severny
- Producer
- Amir Naderi
- Sound Constructions
- Richard Garet
- Assistant Director
- Chris Federico
- Associate Producers
- Dar Meshi, Irene del Campo
- 2nd Assistant Director
- Zack Kimmel
- Re-Recording Mixer
- Eli Cohn
Awards & Screenings
- Premiered at the 29th Torino Film Festival, where it received a special mention from the Gandhi Glasses Award alongside Werner Herzog's “Into the Abyss.”
- Sound by Richard Garet (b. Montevideo) — excerpts from “Winter,” “Subtracted” and “For Shimpei Takeda.” His work has shown at SFMOMA and MACBA, Barcelona.
AN AMIR NADERI PRODUCTION · A FILM BY ANDREI SEVERNY · “CONDITION” · ANTONELLA LENTINI · JESSICA KAYE · STEVE MOSHIER · SOUND CONSTRUCTIONS RICHARD GARET · WRITTEN, SHOT AND EDITED BY ANDREI SEVERNY · PRODUCED BY AMIR NADERI
Teaching
to See
“If you do one thing today, watch this 40-minute crash course in design thinking.”
Synopsis
Teaching to See is an educational documentary about graphic design and the teaching of Inge Druckrey, told through her students and colleagues. The film covers the principles of seeing, analyzing and executing — offering insights into graphic design, typography, composition, form and visual-arts education.
Produced by Edward Tufte and published by Graphics Press, it has been listed among the 100 best design films of all time, and has screened at design schools, museums and festivals across North America and Europe — from Yale and the Gutenberg-Museum to Reykjavík's Bíó Paradís.
Cast & Crew
- Director, Editor
- Andrei Severny
- Executive Producer
- Edward Tufte
- Cinematographers
- Andrei Severny, Peter Lorsch
- Additional Editing
- Giacomo Ciminello
- Script Supervisors
- Carolyn Williams, Karen Bass
- Still Image Supervisor
- Elaine Morse
- Production Assistant
- Julieta Talavera
- Sound Re-recording Mixer
- Matt Gundy
- Participants
- Inge Druckrey, Kris Holmes, Ken Carbone, Chris Myers, Nancy Mayer, Nora Hillman Goeler
What They Say
“This is about patient and dedicated teaching, about learning to look and visualize in order to design, about the importance of drawing. There are simple phrases that give insights into complex matters, for example that letterforms are ‘memories of motion.’”Matthew Carter, Type Designer, 2010 MacArthur Fellow
“It is a document of the long and successful teaching career, and as such will remain a teaching tool for generations to come.”Armin Hofmann, Swiss Graphic Designer and Educator
“What an extraordinary film! It is simply exquisite, in its pacing, content, narrative arc, photography.”Ric Grefé, Executive Director, AIGA
“This film is absolutely beautiful. I feel like it picked up where Helvetica left off with the subtle principles of typographical balance and some early history stemming from the human hand.”Luke Geissbuhler, Cinematographer of Helvetica
“A great documentation of the visual values we hold dear.”Roger Remington, Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design, RIT
“This engaging film offers many insights and encapsulates a lifetime of learning and teaching.”Chris Pullman, Designer, AIGA Medalist
“A fine, insightful and educational documentary. It captures Inge's work as a designer and educator, her thinking and her seeing, in a wonderful and most perfect way.”Hans-Ulrich Allemann, Designer, Educator
“This very fine film has a wonderful contemplative quality. It floats above the compromises and sometime mundane requirements of praxis.”Chris Myers, Graphic Design Chair, The University of the Arts
“Beneficial to all visual students whether designers or artists.”Keith Godard, Designer, Educator, Artist
“A great story beautifully told.”Ken Carbone, Chief Creative Director, Carbone Smolan Agency
Screenings
Premiere — ET Modern Gallery, New York
Q&A with Inge Druckrey, Edward Tufte and Andrei Severny. The film then screened at the gallery from October 2012 to September 2013.
DesignThinkers, Toronto
Q&A with Andrei Severny.
FilmBar, Phoenix
Bíó Paradís, Reykjavík
Inge Druckrey met the President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson; two days later she spoke at DesignTalks at the National Theatre of Iceland.
Gutenberg-Museum, Mainz
ICTVC, Nicosia, Cyprus
Northeastern University, Boston
Introduced by Franz Werner.
AS220, Providence
Q&A with Inge Druckrey.
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia
Q&A with Inge Druckrey and Andrei Severny.
Yale School of Art, New Haven
Q&A with Inge Druckrey and Andrei Severny.
The Society of Printers, Boston
Q&A with Inge Druckrey and Andrei Severny.
IX Tallinn Design Festival, Estonia
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia
Q&A with Inge Druckrey and Andrei Severny.
Articles & Press
Perceiving Deeply — Design Observer
A 40-Minute Crash Course in Design Thinking — Fast Company
Tom on
Mars
A seven-minute love story set against the psychological extremes of deep-space travel.
Synopsis
Tom is an astronaut who, in 2049, goes on the second mission to Mars. Just days before launch he meets the love of his life — Maria. Travelling farther from Earth on his complex and risky voyage, Tom begins to experience serious psychological difficulties. Confinement, isolation and the inability to stay in touch with Maria make him shut down communications with mission control. The enduring test does not cease even upon his return from a 70-million-mile journey.
The story is based on real-life cases of dangerous psychological challenges experienced by astronauts during long space assignments, and by researchers stationed in remote areas such as Antarctica.
Cast & Crew
- Writer, Director, Cinematographer, Editor
- Andrei Severny
- Crew
- Zack Kimmel, Alberto D'Allara, Jodie Taylor, Anthony Laura
- Cast
- Laila Lemhadden, Russel Smith
- Voice Over
- Peter DuPre
Awards & Screenings
- Premiered at the IFP Buzz Cuts, Pioneer Theater, New York, May 10, 2005. Selected as a top-ten finalist in the Esquire Celluloid film competition.
- Screened at the Festival of Cinema & Technology (USA), FILMSTOCK International (UK), Red Shift (USA), West Chester Short Film Festival (USA), the International Science Film Festival (Hungary) and Festival der Nationen (Austria).
Disparaït
An experimental short exhibited at festivals across Europe, India and the Americas.
Synopsis
A five-minute experimental short shot on 16mm and digital, screened internationally from Milan and Avignon to Barcelona, Winnipeg and Kolkata.
Cast & Crew
- Writer, Director, Cinematographer, Editor
- Andrei Severny
- Crew
- YoungJi Nam, Heiko Nemmert, Alex Wang
- Cast
- Rawle Roberts
- Voice Over
- Julie Arrue, Andrei Severny
Awards & Screenings
- Milano Film Festival (2005, 2013), Avignon Film Festival (2005), MECAL Film Festival, Spain (2005), Winnipeg Film Festival (2005) and Kolkata Film Festival (2006).
City
Action
A venue-specific video installation built for an ultra-wide 27 × 5-foot screen.
About
CityAction is a venue-specific video installation made for the ultra-wide 27 × 5-foot (9 × 1.5-metre) screen at the Made In NY Media Center in New York.
It shows a mosaic compilation of moving shots of the city, capturing the energy and feeling of New York as one living urban organism. Its elements break the rules of perspective and gravity to create impossible spaces; the composition constantly moves, evolves and unravels new layers and depth, using every pixel of the resolution.
Cast & Crew
- Created by
- Andrei Severny
- Venue
- Made In NY Media Center, New York
Intra
vertigo
A multi-screen rear-projection installation — a digital equivalent of looking into yourself.
About
Intravertigo is a multiple-screen rear-projection video installation with sound, showing colourful, fast-moving images generated by video feedback — pointing a camera into a screen to create an infinite loop of mostly abstract imagery. It is a digital equivalent of looking into yourself and getting in touch with an urgent, inexplicable and infinite mystery of your immediate presence.
Artist's Note
Since early childhood I enjoyed looking at the world, observing reality — but sometimes I couldn't help peeking inside myself. The idea of being in this world at this particular moment gave me shivers: a strange, strong, biting sensation of being thrown out of everyday role-playing into a fast hyper-reality and superior truth that, in my mind, felt almost tangible. It was a shock of electricity, something infinite echoing and shaking my consciousness. I have always wanted to translate this feeling into film.
Cast & Crew
- Created by
- Andrei Severny
Awards & Screenings
- Rear-projection video installation — exhibited at Nuit Blanche, New York (2011).
Minamo
Light reflected off water, slowly taking the shapes of Japanese calligraphy. No computer graphics.
About
Abstract, colourful and mysterious images move slowly in the dark, sometimes taking the shapes of Japanese calligraphy. The installation captures sequences of light reflections off the surface of water — no computer graphics were involved. The name Minamo means, in Japanese, the water surface, or the face of the water.
Artist's Note
In ancient mythology water represented the subconscious — the ever-changing, transcendental stream beyond time and space. I am deeply intrigued by the realm outside human culture, the non-verbal and primal around us that we often feel but can never explain.
Cast & Crew
- Created by
- Andrei Severny
Awards & Screenings
- Video installation on multiple screens, 2009–2010. Shown at SET Gallery, NY Aquarium, Nuit Blanche and Webster Hall, New York.
About
Andrei Severny is a filmmaker, photographer and video artist whose work operates on multiple levels, engaging both intuition and intellect.
His stories often integrate scientific analysis and reveal a singular vision of the future. On his quest to show the inner world, Severny engages in both reality and abstraction. His narrative and documentary films explore art, human perception, the senses, psychology and neuroscience.
Since 2007 Severny has collaborated with Edward Tufte, the world-renowned master of analytical design, producing the acclaimed documentary “Teaching to See” along with more than twenty short films on art and analytical design.
Andrei Severny's first feature-length film, “Condition,” was produced by the fierce independent filmmaker Amir Naderi and premiered at the 29th Torino Film Festival in Italy. His feature documentary “Buried Seeds,” the life journey of Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna, premiered its trailer at the Cannes Film Festival and was released internationally by National Geographic.
Severny was born in 1977 in Moscow, Russia, into a family of astronomers. Since 2004 he has lived and worked in New York City, where he makes films, photographs and video installations.
Collaborators
Edward Tufte
Professor Emeritus at Yale and the pioneering author of “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information,” “Envisioning Information,” “Visual Explanations” and “Beautiful Evidence.” Since 2007 Tufte and Severny have produced more than twenty short films on art and analytical design, including “Teaching to See.” Called “the Leonardo da Vinci of data” by The New York Times.
Amir Naderi
One of the most important figures in contemporary art cinema, Naderi jumpstarted the Iranian new wave and has pushed generations of filmmakers worldwide toward purer cinema. He produced Severny's first feature, “Condition”; Severny was cinematographer on Naderi's “Fortune Cookie,” made for MoCA New York.