Filmform (est. 1950) is dedicated to preservation, promotion and worldwide distribution of experimental film and video art. Constantly expanding, the distribution catalogue spans from 1924 to the present, including works by Sweden’s most prominent artists and filmmakers, available to rent for public screenings and exhibitions as well as for educational purposes.
The film grew out of a longing to meet the tree called Old Tjikko, at Fulufjället in northern Sweden.
Old Tjikko, by some, considered one of the oldest living trees (its root system dates about 9 600 years back). Standing with the tree at sunrise brought on thoughts regarding being in our different bodies, the tree without mobility and this human vessel with its potential for movement. How does mobility shape experience of worlds? How concepts of time are based on movement, and their difference in regards to life span. These ancient species as witnesses to the human folly.In the valley below flows a waterfall, a reMINDer of how water flows through bodies and unites us all in this dance.
Gustaf Broms was born in Sweden in 1966. He currently lives and works in the Vendel forest. Gustaf’s practice is engaged with the exploration of the nature of consciousness, the dualistic concept of Being NATURE (the biological process of body), and being MIND (as intellect interprets experience). In his practice, he started off working photography and installation, but two work in particular led him to work with the more formless processes of performance.
In 1991, Broms burned all of his work, and in doing so realized that the intensity of the action and the remaining ash far outdid anything he had previously made. In 2005, he completed a series of works entitled “5 Faiths for a Brave New World” in which he worked with objects that were physically too heavy for the body to move. These two experiences created a longing to explore the formless and led up to the project entitled “A Walking Piece” made with Trish Littler, in which the two artists spent 18 months walking across Eastern Europe. The result is considered a drawing.Currently, Broms’ continues to work with his own body as the tool for examining what this living thing is.
