19th Annual
Louisiana's Reel Festival
Festival starts in
Otonashi | 音無し / Germany / Louisiana Premiere
SHORT ANIMATION
"Painted in silence a sparrow’s dream invokes timeless harmonies. In the heart of universal geometry, the seed of calm is formed." Otonashi is a philosophical voyage through inner and outer experiences of the human existence – an audiovisual meditation of futuristic transmutations about the Japanese Hannya Shingyo.
Director's Statement:
“Form is emptiness” is probably the best-known basis and illumination of Buddhist philosophy, the essence of the so-called Heart Sutra. Translated from Sanskrit into Chinese and later transliterated into Japanese language, the Heart Sutra is known as Hannya Shingyō | 般若心経 in Japan and is recited by millions of Buddhists today.
I first came into contact with the Heart Sutra in my youth during my time in China. One cannot escape the beauty and clarity of its content, regardless of whether one feels drawn to Buddhism or not. It wasn't until much later, during my travels to Japan, that I encountered the Heart Sutra again, during a nightly ceremony in Okunoin on Mount Koya. This deeply emotional experience inspired me to write a music composition, a piece for solo violin and percussion. I named the piece “Otonashi” - which can best be translated as “silence” in terms of “soundlessness” - to express the essential equality of sound and silence from a Buddhist point of view. The violin has to use special techniques throughout the composition in order to move away from the typical violin sound and sound more like a Japanese flute called shakuhachi. The percussion has exactly the opposite role here: opulent soundscapes are created from more soundless noises.
I've known Nikola Gocić's works of art for quite a while and I really appreciate his extraordinary style. He manages to generate amazement and emotions again and again through his collages. There is a peculiar magic inherent in his art, a surreal beauty and aesthetics that awakens inner stories to be told. He agreed to collaborate on the cinematic implementation of "Otonashi".
Director's Statement:
“Form is emptiness” is probably the best-known basis and illumination of Buddhist philosophy, the essence of the so-called Heart Sutra. Translated from Sanskrit into Chinese and later transliterated into Japanese language, the Heart Sutra is known as Hannya Shingyō | 般若心経 in Japan and is recited by millions of Buddhists today.
I first came into contact with the Heart Sutra in my youth during my time in China. One cannot escape the beauty and clarity of its content, regardless of whether one feels drawn to Buddhism or not. It wasn't until much later, during my travels to Japan, that I encountered the Heart Sutra again, during a nightly ceremony in Okunoin on Mount Koya. This deeply emotional experience inspired me to write a music composition, a piece for solo violin and percussion. I named the piece “Otonashi” - which can best be translated as “silence” in terms of “soundlessness” - to express the essential equality of sound and silence from a Buddhist point of view. The violin has to use special techniques throughout the composition in order to move away from the typical violin sound and sound more like a Japanese flute called shakuhachi. The percussion has exactly the opposite role here: opulent soundscapes are created from more soundless noises.
I've known Nikola Gocić's works of art for quite a while and I really appreciate his extraordinary style. He manages to generate amazement and emotions again and again through his collages. There is a peculiar magic inherent in his art, a surreal beauty and aesthetics that awakens inner stories to be told. He agreed to collaborate on the cinematic implementation of "Otonashi".
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