‘HAMMERFEST: Technology, Being and Self – Re-imagining the films of RW Paul in Heideggerian Context

A collaboration between hybrid arts collective I Am The Mighty Jungulator and writer Stephen Ireland, Hammerfest is an innovative re-imagining of the films of RW Paul, the English pioneer of early silent-cinema. Using material from Paul’s films and featuring an original IATMJ score, Hammerfest explores Paul’s work in the context of the environmental crisis, the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, and the folk tale Snow White, simultaneously telling the story of Tunte and Techné, workers at the Snøhvit gas liquefaction plant in Hammerfest, Norway. Hammerfest fuses performance with document, featuring live narration and Kosmiche musical accompaniment, to develop Paul’s work into a metaphor for humankind’s narcissistic relationship with the natural world. Rendering human beings’ seemingly fatal embrace of technology as a theme that blurs and transcends fictional boundaries, Hammerfest is a unique blend of film, philosophy, literature and music.

The world premiere of Hammerfest took place on Friday May 23rd at the Rock School Barbey in Bordeaux. The film was accompanied by live narration from Ina Hume and Stephen Ireland, live music by Matthew Olden and David Leavesley of IATMJ with Nathan Hughes, also of IATMJ, VJing.

The UK premiere of Hammerfest is due to take place on June 8th at the Arnolfini Auditorium, Bristol as part of the Venn Festival.’