Torii 鳥居 is a short film in the form of an audiovisual composition about the traditional Shinto gates of the same name in Japan. The film uses these gates which symbolically mark the transition from the mundane to the sacred as representatives of a personal synaesthetic and spiritual journey through five levels of consciousness, traveling from existentialism to metaphysics, abstraction, and the Shinto deities called Kami, culminating in a final transition that weaves together these diverse philosophical threads.

Director Biography

Martin Gerigk (*1972) is a composer of contemporary music. His repertoire includes compositions for orchestra and chamber music, as well as several solo concertos. His compositions are performed nationally and internationally including in Korea, Japan, USA, England, Finland, Austria and Switzerland. In this context he works together with renowned international soloists and ensembles.

In addition to his compositional work he is known for his remarkable audiovisual art and experimental films which focus on inherent synesthetic connections of sound and visual perceptions. Besides creating interwoven aural and visual landscapes of music, nature sounds and video sequences one important aspect of his art is the illustration of the hidden poetry of nature phenomena and sciences.

His experimental films won several international prizes and were screened at noted festivals like Asolo Art Film Festival, International Digital Arts Festival Videoformes, Girona Film Festival, Salento International Film Festival, Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, USA Film Festival, New Jersey Film Festival, Sidney International Film Festival, Fargo Film Festival, Sherman Oaks Film Festival, Canberra Short Film Festival, Film and Video Poetry Symposium Los Angeles, Syracuse Film Festival or ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival.

Director Statement

Torii 鳥居 is a short film in the form of an audiovisual composition about the traditional Shinto gates of the same name in Japan. The film uses these gates which symbolically mark the transition from the mundane to the sacred as representatives of a personal synaesthetic and spiritual journey through five levels of consciousness, traveling from existentialism to metaphysics, abstraction, and the Shinto deities called Kami, culminating in a final transition that weaves together these diverse philosophical threads. It was filmed during three visits to Japan and marks the third and final part of my Japanese film trilogy.

Existentialism, the first level shown, with its emphasis on individual freedom and the creation of personal essence, serves as the starting point. It prompts an introspective exploration of one’s existence and wrestles with people’s inherent restlessness in shaping meaning. As in the rest of the film, images of circles stand here for the inherent unity between the mundane and the spiritual.

Moving beyond existentialism, the film enters the realm of Metaphysics, the second level. Here, the focus broadens from the individual to the universal, delving into the fundamental nature of reality. Metaphysics seeks to uncover the underlying principles that govern existence, providing a broader context for understanding the intricacies of being, represented here visually in a minimalistic way.

The ascent continues into the realm of Abstraction, the third level, where consciousness reaches new heights of conceptualization. Abstraction involves distancing oneself from concrete particulars, enabling the contemplation of overarching patterns and ideas. This ethereal mode of thinking goes beyond the tangible, allowing the mind to explore the boundaries of human understanding and consider the abstract nature of reality.

Integrating Kami, the Japanese deities of Shintoism, into this philosophical journey introduces a cultural and spiritual dimension, the fourth level. Shinto, the indigenous religion of Japan, has a rich pantheon of Kami. These divine entities are intertwined with nature, embodying various aspects of the natural world. In the film, the Kami are primarily represented by various forms of paper alongside typical natural phenomena. In Japanese, the word Kami also means paper.

The fifth level, the Final Transition, represents the culmination of this multidimensional exploration. It is a synthesis of existential introspection, metaphysical inquiry, abstract contemplation, and the infusion of spiritual elements from Japanese mythology. This transition signifies a comprehensive understanding that transcends individual, cultural, and metaphysical boundaries. It marks the evolution of consciousness towards a holistic perspective that embraces the intricate tapestry of existence. The stilling of thought, symbolized by passing through a Torii.

African-American writer and activist June Jordan and her “Poem About My Rights”; Ancient Greece and the emblematic statues of Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo and Small Herculaneum Woman; Japanese Traditions and the men-only Noh theater; are merged together to talk -from a feminine point of view- about universal and transgenerational inequalities, abuse, violations, of women and all the vulnerable.

In this work temporal space is ignored and various cultural elements of different times and places are retrieved to construct a storytelling on today’s issue of respect for the other; whoever or whichever this other is. A matter of power, that matters to femininities, and all other humans or animals belonging to minorities. An issue that has been present throughout history, in various forms and intensity, but is still not resolved.

A lonely spearmint unsuccessfully tries to connect with others. The plant gets picked up by a person going through a rough patch, isolating himself and dwelling οn the past.