“peace starts with me”

About the Artists

Magali Charrier (France) is an experimental filmmaker and animator. She juxtaposes live action and animation to investigate the moving body and its failings. She graduated from the Royal College of Art, in 2010. Her first solo exhibition is currently on show in Seoul at the Soomdo Gallery.

“Peace starts with me. Here. My body.
Through fragmentation and dislocation, this film explores the body as a place where inner conflicts and tensions are played out. A frenetic collage gives way to a more serene version of the body. Peace comes as a sudden breath born out of chaos.”

Tom Gran and Kayleigh Gibbons (both England) graduated from the University of the West of England in 2010. Their first film Scunner premiered at Encounters Film Festival and was screened throughout the world. This is their second project together.

“For us, peace is about letting go. We all have the potential to destroy each other and our resistance to letting go of our defenses makes conflict much more dangerous. Our film follows a society of living threads as they desperately support hundreds of bladed objects in mid-air.”

Max Hattler (Germany) was educated at Goldsmiths and the Royal College of Art. Hattler has made over 20 moving image works and has shown at exhibitions and film festivals worldwide, winning many awards. He is also active in the field of audiovisual performance and has worked with music acts like Basement Jaxx.

“My film is about mirroring and feedback—abstract patterns and shapes fill the two sides of the screen, taking us on a journey from disharmony to peace. Conceptually, it’s about how violence breeds violence and love breeds love. Only by turning the other cheek can we bring about change, understanding and peace.”

Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor (Ireland) studied theatre at Dartington College of Arts. Over the years their films have screened extensively around the world including screenings at Telluride, Rotterdam, London, Sydney, Thessaloniki, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, Singapore, Pusan, Durban and Morelia.

“Our film is a portrait of a community, united in a celebration of peace. What starts as one individual ends in a large and spectacular group portrait, with people from all backgrounds standing together and sharing a moment of tranquility. Peace starts with me and gradually expands to include everyone. We are all connected.”

Noriko Okaku (Japan) studied at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, and the Royal College of Art. Her art ranges from audiovisual work, to performance and experimental animation. She has had solo exhibitions in galleries in Japan and Europe.

“Peace is always in your life, if you look for it. In my film, the word peace is concealed within an abstract landscape—at times clearly discernible, at others hidden. The film is meant to seem chaotic. Like the principles of Yin and Yang, positive and negative, peace exists within chaos and vice versa.”

Jacco Olivier (Netherlands) lives and works in Amsterdam, where he studied at the Rijksakademie. He is represented by the Victoria Miro Gallery in London; the Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York; the Thomas Schulte Gallery in Berlin, and Ron Mandos Gallery in Amsterdam. His work has been exhibited extensively worldwide since 2003.

“My film is an abstract visualization of the feelings and imagery that haunt me in the transitional space between sleep and wakefulness. I am a slow starter—every morning, before I can approach the world worry-free and open- minded, I need to first drain the negative. Only then am I happy and at peace with myself.”

Bill Porter (England) grew up on the isolated, wind-swept coast of North Cornwall. Since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2008, he now works as an animator/director in London and has screened at various animation festivals and galleries around the world.

“Two fighters face one another in the ring, surrounded by spectators in masquerade. The bell sounds and the fighters jump into action. The spectators become more and more frenzied as the blows get harder and the fighters less guarded. Finally they peak and, exhausted, slump into one another—a moment of peace.”

PUMA.Peace

Through its PUMAVision platform, PUMA is workings towards creating a better world for generations to come, and as a part of this platform, PUMA.Peace is working to inspire and educate individuals around the globe that peace is possible. Through the initiatives of PUMA.Peace, PUMA is providing real and practical expressions of this vision by strategically implementing long-term partnerships, creative initiatives and raising global awareness. For more information, please visit http://peace.puma.com.

Shooting People

Shooting People is an online network of new independent filmmakers and creative’s founded in 1998 and now with over 37,000 dynamic members around the world. Founding patron was Mike Figgis and other patrons include Matthew Barney, Michael Winterbottom, Michael Nyman and Martha Fiennes. Independent filmmaking can be a tough business but it's also an exciting business right now. Shooting People’s members are doing great things; creating distinctive bold films that are breaking out, defying old paradigms to find new audiences, trying out fresh-fangled cameras and aesthetics, creating alternate models for funding and exploring different ideas to create sustainable careers. For more information, please visit http://www.shootingpeople.org/peacestartswithme.