Henri Plaat Day

‘To register, I want to register places and things before it gets destroyed by modernity and progression. Before it is lost forever.’ — Henri Plaat

‘Amsterdam-born Henri Plaat (b. 1936) is a Dutch visual artist and creator of graphic work, drawings, gouaches, and collages. His freedom of spirit expressed itself early in his life when he departed secondary school prematurely in order to enroll in university to study typography. However, feeling limited by the bounds of his academic coursework, he spent time drawing and found inspiration within ancient writing systems, among them Egyptian hieroglyphs and Mayan script. Influenced by his personal memories of World War II and newsreels of the time, he developed his unique artistic style to, as he puts it, “rebel against reality.”

‘In 1966, Plaat picked up a movie camera and started to make films—first on 8mm and then later on 16mm. In his shorter filmic performances, he combines the photographic montage with opera, juxtaposing composer Richard Wagner and UFA actress Zarah Leander with war sounds and aircraft noise. Plaat playfully examines the absurd within the theatrical through associative improvisation, and thus sets a contrast to the crude reality of the haunting wars that ravaged Europe at the beginning of the 20th century.

‘Plaat’s interest in the interplay between the imaginary and the real is reflected in his painterly use of analog film. In a career spanning over 40 films, his decision to work on film was informed by the visual qualities of Kodachrome and Tri-X reversal stocks, which could best express his singular preference for light, shadow, and color. His eclectic travelogues are fantastical elegies that venture into dream-like expeditions—to places in Mexico, India, Greece, and New York City—with a focus on derelict landscapes and their dilapidated beauty. There, his melancholic camera gaze takes in fallen empires and captures the persistence of traces of antiquity in the present, expressing his art’s innate nostalgia while also embodying an urge for truthfulness, to learn from history and to conserve this sentiment for future humanity.’ — Marius Hrdy

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Stills

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A little further

Henri Plaat Website
Henri Plaat @ IMDb
DVD: ‘Seven Films by Henri Plaat’
‘Roger Katwijk; Henri Plaat – Mede te nemen bij brand!’
Henri Plaat @ mubi
Henri Plaat @ Letterboxd
Rebel Against Reality: The Spheres of Henri Plaat
The Poetics of Memory and Decay: Henri Plaat

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Portrait: Henri Platt
‘A pinhole movie presented by Jérôme Schlomoff. This film proposes a cinematographic portrait of the Dutch artist Henri Plaat, by filming the processing of the silver print letting appear its photographic portrait. At the same time as the image is created in the darkroom, the hands of Henri Plaat tear a board of paperboard. It creates in its turn, randomly of this uncontrolled “work of destruction” the ghostly images with the torn pieces. Characters, animals, landscapes, architectures, boats, as many images belonging to the artistic Universe of Henri Plaat, who practices painting, cutting paper & cinema.’ — JS

Watch the film here.

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Kettel meets Henri Plaat
‘Electronic music producer KETTEL creates a score for Henri Plaat’s films.’ — Cinesonic

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Collages

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7 of Henri Platt’s 35 films

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Other Thoughts 4 (2008)
‘‘Other Thoughts 4 is a series of portraits with images that are silenced as a binding element. A surrealistic world that is not strange, but rather consists of fragments of dreams and sometimes of worry. The assembly is determined by image and atmosphere. A melancholic film composed of material that Plaat collected in the course of his various travels.‘ — iffr.com

the entire film

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A Fleeting Dream (2004)
‘A Fleeting Dream (2004) can be considered the nucleus of Plaat’s work. A collage of his own backlog of film footage, spanning almost his entire cinematic oeuvre, we engage in travels to remote places, and are shown random objects, faces, trains rolling, and people dancing. A couple of scenes summarize Plaat’s enchantment with the past: a butler opening a fridge that is in the end empty, derelict sceneries passing by, and smoke coming out of a cut-out in a poster of a movie diva. A Fleeting Dream stands as something like a cinematic testament and a final ode to his filmwork.’ — Marius Hrdy

the entire film

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2nd War Hats (1986-87)
‘2nd War Hats shows a series of heads with absurd sumptuous covering peeping out of manhole covers. A number of questions emerge: prairie dogs sniffing, deciding whether or nor to come out of their burrows? Men dressed up as women? Unsafe to come out from the man-hole?’ — Senses of Cinema

Excerpt

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Fragments of Decay (1983)
‘Architectural shots of abandoned buildings, walls, the kind that appear in the nether landscapes of Cocteau’s Orpheus (1949), but emptied, worn, eroded, silent, pensive and wise.’ — Cine Sonic

the entire film

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Now that You Are Gone (1977)
‘A surreal encounter at Père Lachaise cemetery between brightly coloured jelly pudding and Mickey Mouse.’ — Letterboxd

the entire film

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The Strange But Unknown Star (1969)
‘A ten-year-old girl dressed as a 1920s star gives a performance. She wears a rubber mask, sits in a large, red armchair, and reads magazines that revive actresses from the past. Annette Hanshaw sings in the background. Marlene Dietrich is bombarded with egg, chocolate powder, powdered sugar and currants.’ –– Eye

the entire film

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I am an old smoking, moving Indian Movie Star (1968)
‘A veiled Indian lady talks to the camera (silent). Her story is told in images.’ — re-voir.com

the entire film

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p.s. Hey. ** Dominik, Hi!!! People tell me that on Halloween there were lots of people walking around Paris in costumes. I’ve never seen that before, so I guess Halloween is catching on here too finally. I just wish the French would realise that Halloween haunted houses are a whole lot more interesting than Halloween escape rooms, but maybe next year. I got almost normal sleep last night, so I’ll credit love. Love defeating Trump today, G. ** jay, Hi. No other Bataille novel is quite that sexual, but they’re great in other ways. Maybe try ‘Blue of Noon’ next? I’ll see if I can locate that ‘Quintuplets’ show and see what’s what, thanks. Pressure unfelt, no problem. I think I might be awake enough later today if I’m lucky. I saw that ‘secret retreat’ video. How insane. The motivation behind making that is very mysterious. Thanks, pal. ** Cletus, Hey. KGB is cool. Great. That sounds lovely: the gigs. I’ve been to the Mutter, and, yes, it’s amazing. There’s a really good episode of Errol Morris’s old TV series ‘First Person’ where he interviews the Mutter’s director Gretchen Worden if you’re interested. It’s here. If you put the Cher photo somewhere, like on social media or another site/space, you can link me to it? No pressure though. Happy Tuesday to you. ** Charalampos, Hi. It was you I was talking about the Purdy with, I now remember. Your deity hands from the sky sounds like a film. News from me? Not a ton, but I’m still a little hazy from jet lag so the recent past isn’t wildly accessible. There are some film updates, but I can’t talk about them yet. Good updates for once. Take care. ** _Black_Acrylic, Oh, shit, not again. Re: the class not happening. What’s up with the Dundee’s scribes?! But I’m happy to hear that you’re onto the writing anyway. Do keep me up on the progressions, yes. And the PTs are so close by in my future that I can almost hear them. ** Bill, Will do on the possible haunt, but it’ll be a while. Yes, I’d love to hear or see the gig recording if it becomes public fodder. Hong Kong, right. Have you noticed any very recognisable changes since China got overly involved? ** Steve, Hi. Probably not too much like my novels since we would want kids to be able to saunter or tiptoe through the haunt. I’ve heard of ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’, but not the others. Awesome about you and The Quietus. Congratulations to you and them. Apropos of nothing, I still really miss Tiny Mix Tapes. It, The Quietus, and The Wire were my music go-to’s. The election stress is very intense. Even over here. Here’s desperately hoping we can speak tomorrow amidst a celebration. ** Justin D, Hi, Justin. Oh, that photo is actually me in my Paris pad, taken just before I took off for the States. The photographer was very nice. The only way to watch Criterion here is via a VPN, but the connection is so bad and slow, it’s not worth it. Gregg did weigh directing ‘Frisk’. but he couldn’t figure out how to depict the violence. I have MUBI, so I’ll go check out the Kentridge series, thank you. I think I’ll know later today if my lag is in its death throes or not. Prayers. ** Tyler Ookami, Let me know how ‘Tormented’ is. I’ve been curious about it. Yes, I have a lot of LA artist friends, and almost all of them do installation work or sculpture. Which is ripe for the haunt. Hm, I don’t know Gregory Horror Show, but now I’ll at least get a bead on it thanks to you. Seems very cool. ** HaRpEr, Already? That was easy. And heat to boot? And just in the nick of time if our newly wintery weather here extends into your realm. Wow, nice day you had there. I too should read ‘Narrow Rooms’. What’s in your immediate future? ** Lucas, I will share them somehow once Zac jets them to me. You can show me your photos on your phone when you’re here. Problem solved. I’m happy to hear the anti-depressants are working. I have a number of artist and writer friends on them who seems quite productive, so your experience following suit makes sense. The Xiu Xiu gig is sold out, and I didn’t get tickets, alas. I’d ask Jamie to put me on the guest list, but things between him and Zac and me are still a little too fraught for that, I think. Oh well. Greatest day to you! ** Corey Heiferman, Your first comment didn’t come through, so I’m glad you tried again. Jesus, you’ve been all over the place. That’s crazy. Envy on Poland and Prague and South Korea and of course Tokyo, where I hope to get to go again before too long. Sadly not on Halloween, although hopefully long before then. I’m kind of with you on Berlin, but it’s an unpopular opinion, whatever that means. Right now I’m mostly tying to get the film on its route into the world. Things look promising. And writing the next film. Film, film, that’s me all over. And enjoying winter’s encroachment on Paris and looking to catch up on lots of art and films and stuff the very second my body clock gives up its doggedness. Great to see you! ** Right. Today I’m presenting works by an excellent experimental filmmaker, Henri Plaat, whom I’m thinking many of you might not be familiar with, experimental film being a tough find in general. Hope you like. See you tomorrow.