Artist Adrian Paci (b.1969) escaped violent riots in Albania in 1997 and took refuge with his family, in Italy. The fact of being at a crossroads, at the frontier of two separate identities, underlies all his work on film.

In this video Paci introduces us to his 2013 film ‘The Column’. The column is an art piece produced on a boat trip between East and West: It is “the story of a piece of marble, the story of a stone, taken off the mountain” he says. This piece of marble is “rolled down, brought onto the boat and then transformed by human actions” he explains. But, he adds, the film is also a story of faces, bodies, human presence and human actions. Nature is detached and transformed, turned into culture.

While a column traditionally symbolizes temples and power, Paci chooses to always have it lying down, and thus it also becomes a sign of impotence. As it is made in China, also a question of authenticity, he says. Most importantly, the trip continues – it is a process of becoming, demonstrated by tools moving.

Adrian Paci was interviewed by Marc-Christoph Wagner at Jeu de Paume, Paris.

Camera: Germain Ferey
Edited by: Kamilla Bruus
Produced by: Marc-Christoph Wagner
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2013

Supported by Nordea-fonden