Empty Under Sky
Short Stuff
•
10m
Empty Under Sky, was made in response to Robin Starbuck receiving the Middlebury New Filmmakers Award for Best Music with Film Integration. It was made in collaboration with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra composer in residence, Matt LaRocca, and it screened with the orchestra during their fall 2018 performance series.
This film is one of several short pieces Robin Starbuck made from her film work in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. The text used in this film was derived from fragments of the ancient Mayan sacred text known as the Popol Vuh (or ilb’al). All film footage for this project was shot on location in Chiapas, Mexico. Animations were constructed from graffiti and murals painted by anonymous artists in the streets of Chiapas and animated by Starbuck in her New York studio.
Matt LaRocca’s inspiration for the music lay in the traditions of Mayan music and the vivid imagery of the film. The score is based on the scales, harmonies, and instruments used by early Mayans, though reimagined for a modern orchestra and crafted to accentuate the striking visuals of Chiapas and the juxtaposition of modern and ancient worlds.
Up Next in Short Stuff
-
Mother's Day on the Golan Heights
A short sequence that illustrates the everyday challenges for people living in an occupied territory. A not so happy Mother's Day is marked each year on the border between the Golan Heights and Syria.
-
Woman in No Man's Land
Mary Riter Hamilton was as a Canadian artist. In 1919, she painted the battlefields of France and Belgium, recording the aftermath of World War One.
-
Thinking with the Hands
What role does physicality play in science? "Thinking with the Hands" is a short ethnographic documentary dedicated to the involvement of physicality in scientific knowledge production. This film investigates the role played by hands in daily laboratory work routine.
