3 channel high definition video installation, 13 min, 2015

Trailer:

Description:

In ’The Theory of Freedom’, we see the protagonists Mister Freedom and Miss Independence walking through a desolate metropolis. They are quoting from neoliberal texts mixed with religious delusions abou the biblical apocalypse as they wait for the Day of Judgement.

This salvation, however, fails to materialise when Randi appears as a black‐clad tyrannical mistress. She is the personification of Russian‐American philosopher Ayn Rand (1905-1982), the founder of objectivism. This movement regards the pursuit of one’s own happiness as man’s highest ethical goal, and productive performance as his most important activity. Randi is seen in a mortuary wielding her power over a group of sick, half-dead men in green masks. With compelling one‐liners and evangelical quotes from American mainstream films like Armageddon, she indoctrinates these men with her philosophy on the free market.

Video Stills (triples):

Production Still:

Bjørn Melhus: The Theory of Freedom, 3 channel video installation, 13 min., 2015, Production Still, Photo: Ben Brix

Installation Views:

Bjørn Melhus: “The Theory of Freedom”, Installation View at Halle267, Braunschweig, 2018, Photo: Janina Snatzke

Bjørn Melhus: “The Theory of Freedom”, Installation View at Halle267, Braunschweig, 2018, Photo: Janina Snatzke

Bjørn Melhus: “The Theory of Freedom”, Installation View at Halle267, Braunschweig, 2018, Photo: Janina Snatzke

Bjørn Melhus: The Theory of Freedom, 3 channel video installation, 13 min., 2015, Installation View: Kunsthal Rotterdam, 2015

Bjørn Melhus: The Theory of Freedom, 3 channel video installation, 13 min., 2015, Installation View: Kunsthal Rotterdam, 2015; Photo: Bjørn Melhus

Bjørn Melhus: “The Theory of Freedom “, Installation View at “Free Update”, KINDL – Zentrum für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Berlin 2019; Photo: Jens Ziehe

Production Team:

Written, directed, performed & edited by:……………………… BJØRN MELHUS

Sound and Music in collaboration with ………………………….WOLFRAM SPYRA

Director of Photography:…………………………………………………….EIKE ZULEEG

Camera 2nd Unit (Istanbul):………………………………………………….. BEN BRIX

Costume Design & Make-up Artist:……………………….JULIA NEUENHAUSEN

Set Design:……………………………………………………………………………FELIX OTT

Choreography:…………………………………………………………. HELGA WRETMAN

Additional Performers: ……………….JÖRG BRINKMANN, CARSTEN FRÄMKE,

TOMMY GROV, RALF HENNING, FELIX LAUBSCHER, KLAUS PAPE, MANU WASHAUS, CHLOE & JOEL BECK

Camera Operator:…………………………………………..JENS-CHRISTIAN WANZECK

Dolly Grip:………………………………………………………………THOMAS HOFFMANN

Chief Lighting Technician:…………………………………………..ANDREAS SCHWAB

Lighting Technicians:………………………………TOMMY GROV, ALEX TURGEON

Data Wrangler:……………………………………………………………….THOMAS TAUBE

Location Manager (Berlin):…………………………………………..FELIX LAUBSCHER

Location Manager (Istanbul):………………………………………………….CAN SUNGU

Visual Effects:……………………………………………………………….MIKE ORTHWEIN

Colorist:…………STEFAN KING

Production………………………………………………………………. YUKI JUNGESBLUT

Produced by……………………..LIMBOLAND PRODUCTIONS/ BJØRN MELHUS

Further info:

Frame accurate sync, 4k Video downscaled to HD for playback (as of 1/2015), 4 + 1 channel sound