35mm Colour
10 minutes

Shot in Monet’s garden in Giverny (France) this film is a research of its cusp - a possible point of passage, set at the limit of the scope of representation and at the beginning of the animal realm. This project is the second iteration after Apicula Engima (2014, 35mm, 23mins) which was an attempt to measure the distance and the gap that separates us from the animal realm.

Following up with this research Giverny’s Cusp is an experiment to record the microscopic ecosystem existing within a pictorial monument such as Monet’s garden to bridge the gap; reduce the depth between the two. It is an attempt to capture the garden from a non human point of view whilst challenging the limits of analogue film.

Shot on a zoom lens, the camera is set in the middle of Giverny’s lake. This single shot running the duration of a full 400 feet reel features a microscopic view of the edge of a waterlily’s leaf, then zooms out to a wider view revealing Monet’s iconic green bridge, until the lens of the camera is intentionally removed to place the analogue film directly in contact with the environment; recording its presence with no interface.

The abstract image resulting of this process captured the shimmering lights and movements of all beings during a quiet summer evening.

Location: Giverny, France, July and August, 2019
Camera: Aaton XTR +
Lens: 12-200mm
Kodak: 7207 / 250D
Director of Photography: Théodore Hugonnier
Gardeners and assistants: Claire Héléne Marron, Pierre-Yves et Olivier, Candy Hagedorn
Process: Kodak, London and Silverway, Paris
Coordination: Ombeline Lemaitre / Fondation Claude Monet