The beauty of the incomprehensible: With »La Nature«, we present a new film project by Armenian director Artavazd Peleschjan, which came about through the initiative of ZKM and the Fondation Cartier in Paris.

For over 15 years, Artavazd Peleschjan collected and edited video and film footage of natural events and natural disasters from television reports, film archives and the Internet. Natural phenomena such as floods, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and tornadoes, all in black and white, portray the spectacular and immense forces of nature. The fragility of mankind is once again the focus of Peleschjan's characteristic work.

Born in Armenia in 1938, Artavazd Peleschjan made nine films between 1964 and 1993, which became famous in particular for their sophisticated montage technique, known as »distance montage«. Through a complex structure of repetitions, variations and contrasts of self-shot footage and archive material, the films challenge their audience to an emotional and intellectual confrontation. Man, his technical inventions and his relationship to nature are themes that run through Peleschjan's work.

»La Nature« by Artavazd Peleschjan
France, Armenia, Germany 2020
64 min.

Organization / Institution

ZKM | Karlsruhe