The Interval and The Instant
Steven Eastwood
The characters have different lives and circumstances, as well as different life philosophies which are or are not shared with the camera. Gradually, the imagery becomes more harrowing ending with a seven minute sequence where we observe Alan in his last moments. The artist talks about the intention of wanting to leave metaphors behind and creating a a direct image of death which is central to the film as a whole, and the installation focuses on just these moments of the film Island. The film is meant to be empowering and to showcase the calm of this natural progression of events, as well as moments of elation; it is meant to make the viewer feel at peace with what is presented.
It was filmed over a one year period at the Earl Mountbatten Hospice, Isle of Wight and has been produced with the full consent and involvement of inpatients, outpatients and staff of the hospice.
“Art and film involving death and dying still has taboo status in terms of what western society can and cannot sanction. It is as though the image of dying is not something we should see, or even want to see. As a consequence, there is very little filmmaking done with the consent and collaboration of the dying person and there are few moving images of the very end of life. This extends all the way through culture. We don’t talk about death and dying in schools - there is no death education. Exhibitors are reluctant to programme content relating to death for fear of limited audience. And yet everyone has a personal experience with death and the fact that we will die is as every day and as natural an occurrence as birth”.
Steven Eastwood, Artist
About The Artist
Steven Eastwood is an artist-filmmaker. His second feature film ISLAND (2018) had its international premiere at the Rotterdam Film Festival 2018 and had a theatrical release in the UK later that year. The sister artwork The Interval and the Instant (2017) is a multiscreen video installation commissioned by Fabrica. His first feature Buried Land (2010) was officially selected for Tribeca, Moscow, Mumbai, Goteborg film festivals 2010. Eastwood’s work is often concerned with ethics, belief, mental health and physical disability. His documentary Those Who Are Jesus was nominated for a Grierson Award. Eastwood has screened and exhibited internationally. He has published widely and is Professor of Film Practice at Queen Mary University London, where he is Head of Film Practice. His current projects are concerned with Neurodiversity (Autism through Cinema, funded by Wellcome Trust), eco-philosophy and post-humanism. He lives and works in London.
