Les Coffrets / Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship is one of a collection of 8 stylistically coherent black and white micro-videos that use spoken text and found footage to create oblique dreamlike narratives. They were created/directed by playwright/poet/auteur Mark C. Hewitt in a creative collaboration with videographer/editor Matt Parsons. Each is voiced by a different actor, with Apprenticeship voiced by the artist himself plus a small Chorus. These miniature works were conceived as non-illustrational visual counterparts to an enigmatic poem sequence with the overarching title, Les Coffrets, meaning the boxes, related to the shape of the poems on the page. The 'authorial voice' in these texts is largely abandoned in favour of chance elements, such as words seen on clothing or lines of overheard conversation or phrases from online advertising. As such, these narratives offer no consoling message. The visual aesthetic pays homage to classic film noir and early Surrealist photography. Be driven by what you love!