Pedro Maia - Negative Time genesis drop
About the release
Negative Time
Using 16mm analogue old films as a point of departure, Pedro Maia pushes the possibilities of materiality and form in the medium. His interest in the physical and haptic qualities of film, as well as the traces of time which lie hidden in an image, are the starting point for further textural exploration and manipulation. Through mapping the beauty of an image’s patina and how it fades away, we witness a double temporality: we are able to see a moment in time while also witnessing a visual evolution. With "Negative Time" we are confronted with a body of work that begs a question. Is what we’re looking at a computer generated image? Is it a render? Is it modern? Is it old? The past versus the present. The answer to the question? This is where the tension exists.
“Negative Time” refers to a place of ambiguity and indeterminacy between life and death in which narrative and temporal logic are suspended. Built from analogue film archive material, this piece aims to re-materialize the idea of passage of time. This degraded film material contains within it the seeds of its own destruction, disintegrated film being degraded. From this premise, Pedro Maia seeks to bring with it the simplicity and complexity of experimental abstraction as a moving painting.
NFT Edition 1/1 – 2021 – 1440x1080 – 00:19 – LOOP
Expedition Troubled Calm: Nitrate Film Series
I have spent most of my life looking for rare film archives and my collection is growing. Recently I found this interesting film from the 20s, a coloured black & white film of an Africa expedition. This 35mm film made in Cellulose Nitrate has had every single frame painted manually by hand; a pre version of colour film before true colour film was invented in the 40s. This film has the same colouring technique used on "Le Voyage dans la Lune" by Georges Méliès (1902), and its material is over a 100 years old.
I decided to mint this rare gem as an NFT edition of 3 where each buyer will receive an original film stripe with 12 frames
Edition of 3 – 1920 scanned in 2021 – 2048x1556 – 2 min
Note: each buyer receives an original film stripe + a high resolution Apple ProRes 4444 video file
About the Artist
Pedro Maia
Born in Vila do Conde (Portugal) 1983. Based in Berlin. Pedro Maia is a Portuguese filmmaker working predominantly with 16mm and 8mm film, pushing the boundaries and aesthetic of analog cinema and digital workflow.
His work has been presented and exhibited at renowned film festivals, Institutions and galleries, including The Barbican Center, Serralves Museum, Tokyo Contemporary Art Museum, Armenian Centre for Contemporary Experimental Art, MACBA Barcelona, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Mostra São Paulo, Curtas Vila do Conde, Indie Lisboa, amongst others.
Maia has contributed to projects to Patti Smith and Charlotte Gainsbourg and has presented solo performances as well collaborations with musicians such as Craig Leon, Lee Ranaldo, Fennesz, Vessel, Shackleton, Visionist, Porto Remix Ensemble, among others with presentations on leading festivals like Sonar, Unsound, Berlin Atonal, All Tomorrow’s Party, Mutek, Dekmantel, TaicoClub Japan, Red Bull Music Academy, as well in renowned institutions like CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, Eye Film Museum, Contemporary Cultural Center of Valencia, CaixaForum Barcelona, among others.