Thyla
“Thyla is an attempt to create a coherent whole from primarily independent elements, similar to the components of an ecosystem, which in their entirety form a complex interweaving. Formally, there are three basic components: Super 8 footage of a natural floodplain landscape, color charts and codes from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and historical images of what may be the last specimen of Thylacinus cynocephalus, better known as the Tasmanian wolf, Tasmanian tiger, or Kaparunina in the language of the Aborigines. The interpretation of the short film remains open, whereby connections between the parallel strands of silent (nature) observation and a documentation of disappearance or its classification from the outside can be freely established.
In part, the increasingly restless movement through space—perhaps symptomatic of the present—triggers an association with the animal in the enclosure. Ultimately, a species becomes extinct, and in this case also a genus, which has a symbolic character. Current extinction rates at the genus level are significantly higher than those in the past, i.e., before human influence. It is assumed that the massive reduction in biodiversity will lead to a loss of ecosystem function and ultimately to a fundamental transformation of the entire biosphere.1
However, the idea of transformation, as well as the interplay of observation, searching, restlessness, and disorientation, can also be applied to other areas. The various layers and materials of Thyla can be freely combined.” [Stefan Németh]
www.sixpackfilm.com
1: Ceballos G, Ehrlich PR. Mutilation of the tree of life via mass extinction of animal genera. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Sep 26;120(39):e2306987120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2306987120. Epub 2023 Sep 18. PMID: 37722053; PMCID: PMC10523489.
