Ethnography of No Place
A series of short videos by Rachel Lears and Saya Woolfalk

Ethnography of No Place is a series of collaborative works that document an imaginary world. Constructed from household materials (fabrics, sounds, gestures), the characters and stories evoke travel narratives, science fiction, and academic anthropology to rework tropes of sexuality, gender, and race. The name No Place is derived from the English word, “utopia,” coined by Thomas More from the Greek “no” (ou) and “place” (topos)--literally, no place.

Inspired by the historical connections between anthropology and surrealism, the piece aims to produce an affective empathetic engagement with a place that is “other” than that of the viewer, and in which familiar hierarchies are broken down and reconstructed.

Ethnography of No Place is conceptualized and directed by filmmaker Rachel Lears and visual artist Saya Woolfalk. Other participants include Anaïs Alexandra Tekerian (narrator), Samara Gaiev (Self), Elisa Casinader (Landscape); Shaun Leonardo (Warrior-Conjurer)

Chapter 1: Self and Landscape. This video re-imagines desire and reproduction through the documentation of an Eden-like environment. The Self and the Landscape collapse into one another and negotiate forms of activity and passivity through their sensual interaction. Self and Landscape premiered at Artists Space Gallery, New York, NY in May 2007.

Chapter 2: Death and Kin. In this video, the Self has aged and reached the end of her life. In gestures evoking the Butoh performance of Kazuo Ohno, she constructs her own tombstone and her relatives mourn her passing. The sentiment of loss breaks down the linearity of time, until finally the body transforms into landscape once again.

Chapter 3: Portal. The beings of No Place use the detritus of our world to construct a portal that would give us access to theirs if only we could imagine how to use it.

Gallery Screenings. Please see screenings page for up to date information.

The fiscal sponsor of Ethnography of No Place is Flux Factory. To make a tax-deductible donation, please contact info@honeycombfilms.com.

Collaborating in Ethnography of No Place

Death and Kin:
Georgette Maniatis
Alicia Ildefonso
Jean Barberis

Portal:
Shaun Leonardo
Jean Berberis

Self and Landscape:
Samara Gaev
Elisa Casinader

Narrator:
Anaïs Alexandra Tekerian

Technical Support:
Audrey K Tran