The vision of an atheist
The Vaults FULL FILM
Synopsis
‘The vaults’ narrates the internal monologue of an atheist reflecting on the Dolorosa (a spanish term for the Virgin Mary in mourning) placed in the room above the vaults she has just entered. The dark and bare nature of the room becomes an essential topic which reflects on the enigma of the relationship between the Opus and the space it inhabits. The sombre underground scenery provokes a kind of phantasmagoria and operates within the parameters of The Uncanny. (In this case based on the original term coined by Freud and Jentsch). In addition to the matter of curation it also addresses the activation of memory within historical constructions as well as the function of the religious icon and the promise it delivers to the faithful. The plot introduces then a reflection which belongs within the field of contemporary theory, questioning the motives behind prayer and the fragmented essence of the portrayal of the Madonna. In terms of the audiovisual content the film features a series of analogue photographs documenting artworks depicting The Holy Mary, dating from different eras; merging into each other as the sole movement. This technique conjures the sense of transmutation of the forever changing faces of the fabricated idol.
