BISFF2025｜SIPHON: Experimental Film Container 虹吸：实验电影容器

Syntax of Intervention

When we frequently invoke the term “experimental” to describe the qualities—or even the very essence—of moving images, what we refer to may no longer point singularly to a genre, method, style, or spirit. The boundaries of “experimental film” as a category of visual culture remain in constant flux. As Jacques Rancière argued in The Future of the Image, the images refer to nothing else, yet it is not what people frequently claim them to be intransitive. Rather, “it means that alterity enters into the very composition of the images.”

Within the complex cybernetic field that transforms potentially visual materials into images, any discussion of experimental cinema can hardly detach itself from modes of production, technological developments, and the current conditions of image culture. Mainstream visual culture has become deeply entangled with cybernetic systems, forming a kind of a naturalized system of perception that offers a false promise of “the real.” Those we might call “experimenters” in every era continuously interrogate the apparatuses and mechanisms of image-making. Through processes of denaturalization, they resist domesticated ways of seeing, searching instead for moments of overflow, escape, and the reappearance of aura.

In Limbo (2025), Colectivo Los Ingrávidos compiles images of capitalist commodities into a visual archive. Flickering images, accompanied by polyphonic yet semantically elusive mechanical female voices, reactivate the original materials—transforming the “naked image” into a metaphorical image. Similar operations of metaphor and inversion unfold in FMT8 (2024), where seemingly routine image manipulation turns familiar visual codes upside down.

Flows, drifts, and reconfigurations of signification emerge across the five programs of Siphon: Experimental Film Container, each tracing a distinct path. These experimenters, while questioning the conventional grammar of images, continuously probe the ontology of the image itself—exploring uncertainty at the limits through precise and committed practices. In doing so, they employ the art of intervention to unsettle the consciousness of seeing and to awaken new sensorial experiences. (HE Lin)

句法的缝隙

当我们频繁调用“实验性”这一语词来形容影像的特质乃至本质时，我们指涉的或许已难再单一地指向某种类型、方法、风格甚或精神，“实验电影”作为视觉文化分类的界线也始终处于流动的地带。正如朗西埃在《影像的未来》（The Future of the Image）中早已论述，“影像虽无参照，但并非常人不断言说的不及之物，而是表示许多流动力量得以进入影像这个组合物质中。”

在使具备某种潜力的视觉材料成为影像的复杂控制论场域中，对实验电影的讨论或许也难以脱离其制作模式以及当下的技术发展与影像文化。主流的影像文化业已根深蒂固地与控制论盘结在一起，形成某种自然性，并提供关乎“真实”的虚假承诺。而每个时代那些可被称之为“实验者”的人，则不断地审视这套影像创作的器具和机制，以“去自然化”来对抗被驯服的观看和目光，追寻着某种“溢出”、“逃逸”与“灵光”的复现。

反重力团体（Colectivo Los Ingrávidos）在《灵薄狱》（Limbo，2025）中将资本主义精致的产品图编纂成影像档案，频闪的图像配以多声部却难以获取语义的机械女声激活了原本的视觉材料，使“裸图像”（naked image）蜕变为隐喻式的影像（metaphorical image），而类似的隐喻与象征之物在《FMT8》（2024）中则被以一种看似惯常的图像操作将其颠倒、倾覆。

种种语义的流转、漂移、重组在“虹吸：实验电影容器”的五组影片以路径各异的形式生发，这些实验者在质疑惯常影像语法的同时不断叩问影像的本体，以笃定的态度与确凿的方法在边界之处勘探某种不确定性，以“干扰”的艺术寻求对观看意识与感官经验的撬动。（贺琳）

check here to see the full list for Siphon: Experimental Film Container.

Limbo, Colectivo Los Ingrávidos, 2025

Image copyright of the artist, courtesy of Video Data Bank, www.vdb.org, School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

SIPHON-1

FMT 8

Antje Seeger 安特耶·泽格

2024｜0:02:41｜Germany｜German｜Chinese Mainland Premiere

The Mountain｜山

Zhang Yixuan 张艺璇

2025｜0:08:41｜US｜English｜Asian Premiere

The Whitest of Shadows｜Si blanche soit l'ombre｜至白之影

Damien Cattinari 达米安·卡蒂纳里

2024｜0:11:23｜France｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Intruders｜入侵者

Jan Locus 扬·洛库斯

2025｜0:06:05｜Belgium｜No Dialogue｜Chinese Mainland Premiere

Im Dickicht｜林莽之间

Katharina Pichler 卡塔琳娜·皮希勒

2025｜0:08:00｜Austria｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Spirits｜Vuoiŋŋat｜灵

Marja Viitahuhta, Ánnámáret 玛丽亚·维塔胡塔, 安娜玛蕾特

2025｜0:04:58｜Finland｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Under Rays｜Unter Strahlen｜光照之下

Jörn Staeger 约恩·施特格尔

2025｜0:08:22｜Germany｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Sunspots｜日斑

Abinadi Meza 阿比纳迪·梅萨

2025｜0:05:44｜Mexico, US｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

non-place:neon (mirages)｜无所之地：霓虹（幻象）

Michael Dietrich 米夏埃尔·迪特里希

2025｜0:02:05｜Japan, Austria｜No Dialogue｜World Premiere

Looking into the Distance｜Al mirar a lo lejos｜凝望远方

Marta Lara 玛尔塔·拉腊

2024｜0:07:00｜Spain｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Panoramic Communion｜全景共融

Théo Zesiger 泰奥·泽西热

2025｜0:09:10｜France｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

SIPHON-2

Tan/Vatan｜身体/家园

Meenakshi Garodia, Homa Sarabi 米娜克希·加罗迪亚, 霍玛·萨拉比

2024｜0:07:30｜US｜No Dialogue｜Chinese Mainland Premiere

The Money Curse｜金钱诅咒

Abigail Smith 阿比盖尔·史密斯

2024｜0:07:48｜US｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

come shine｜光临

Slawomir J Milewski 斯瓦沃米尔·J.米列夫斯基

2023｜0:20:00｜Poland, UK｜English｜Chinese Mainland Premiere

Lorem｜洛雷姆

Maximilien Luc Proctor 马克西米利安·吕克·普罗克特

2024｜0:03:28｜Germany｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Collapse of a Triangle｜三角即兴

Fae Sun 孙子非

2025｜0:04:49｜US｜English｜World Premiere

Choreography of Light｜光之编舞

Homa Sarabi 霍玛·萨拉比

2024｜0:06:13｜US, Iran｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

certain tenderness｜家庭练习

Huang Siyi 黄思奕

2025｜0:15:06｜China｜Chinese Dialect, Chinese Mandarin｜World Premiere

The Kindergarten｜La Guardería｜幼儿园

Alex Spagnolo 亚历克斯·斯帕尼奥洛

2025｜0:05:12｜Spain, Italy, Argentina｜Spanish｜World Premiere

zero/point｜零/点

Gevorg Galstian 格沃尔格·加尔斯坦

2025｜0:04:31｜Russia｜Russian｜Asian Premiere

Gombaut, Unai Ruiz, Maite Alonso, 2025

SIPHON-3

Western Brook Pond｜西溪湖

Cecilia Araneda 塞西莉亚·阿拉内达

2025｜0:06:05｜Canada｜No Dialogue｜International Premiere

One Big Eye｜独眼林

Sobia Ahmad, Benny Shaffer 索比娅·艾哈迈德，本尼·谢弗

2025｜0:18:58｜US｜English｜Asian Premiere

Uemdo｜우음도｜牛音岛

Kil Minhyeong 吉珉亨

2025｜0:04:09｜Republic of Korea｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Alheio｜他域

Pedro Paulo Araujo 佩德罗·保罗·阿劳若

2024｜0:06:39｜Brazil｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Aftertide｜退潮之后

Ren Kaiwen 任凯闻

2025｜0:03:30｜US｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Santa Clara. Birth in Three Phases｜Santa Clara. Nascimento em três fases｜圣克拉拉：三相诞生

Arturo Franco, Tono Mejuto 阿图罗·弗兰科, 托诺·梅胡托

2025｜0:08:50｜Spain, Portugal｜Portuguese｜Asian Premiere

Gombaut｜贡博

Unai Ruiz, Maite Alonso 乌奈·鲁伊斯，玛伊特·阿隆索

2025｜0:11:00｜Spain｜Basque, Spanish, French｜World Premiere

Trace of a Silent Tear｜无声泪痕

Alena Starostina, Ivan Nikolaev 阿莲娜·斯塔罗斯蒂娜, 伊万·尼古拉耶夫

2024｜0:15:51｜Germany, Finland｜English｜Asian Premiere

SIPHON-4

Dizzy Cavalry｜Cavalerie étourdie｜晕眩骑兵

Patrick Doyon 帕特里克·杜瓦永

2025｜0:01:00｜Canada｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

5-cent American Flag｜五美分上的星条旗

Vito Rowlands 维托·罗兰兹

2025｜0:06:15｜US, Belgium｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

EOJ

Zhou Tianming 周天鸣

2025｜0:02:22｜US｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Noise to Signal｜信噪

Huang Guan 黄冠

2024｜0:02:19｜China｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Alley｜Pasaj｜巷道

Defne Kirmizi 德芙内·克尔姆兹

2025｜0:05:34｜Austria, Turkey｜No Dialogue｜Chinese Mainland Premiere

Sailing｜Voiles｜启航

Pierre Yves Clouin 皮埃尔－伊夫·克卢安

2025｜0:01:00｜France｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Artificio｜伪焰

Marie Fages 玛丽·法热

2025｜0:00:57｜Portugal｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Limbo｜灵薄狱

Colectivo Los Ingrávidos 反重力团体

2025｜0:08:09｜Mexico｜No Dialogue｜World Premiere

You Can’t Find Love｜爱无可寻

Tom Bessoir 汤姆·贝索尔

2024｜0:01:52｜US｜English｜Asian Premiere

MATERIALIVE｜活物

Guli Silberstein 古利·西尔伯斯坦

2025｜0:05:00｜UK｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

La Fenêtre｜窗口

Lucas Ortiz Estefanell 卢卡斯·奥尔蒂斯·埃斯特法内尔

2025｜0:09:00｜Spain｜French｜Asian Premiere

The Year of the Dog｜El Año del Perro｜犬之纪年

Vicente de la Cuadra 比森特·德·拉·夸德拉

2024｜0:07:18｜Chile｜Spanish｜Asian Premiere

The Cosmic Atomic｜Brahmandam Pindandam｜宇宙原子

Kanchan Avchare 坎昌·阿夫恰雷

2025｜0:19:57｜India｜English｜Asian Premiere

Dizzy Cavalry, Patrick Doyon, 2025

SIPHON-5

Shadowban｜隐影

Marcelo Cugliari 马塞洛·库利亚里

2025｜0:20:20｜Argentina｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

A Spring Unseen｜未现之春

James Greenwood 詹姆斯·格林伍德

2025｜0:12:20｜UK｜English｜World Premiere

A Certain Light｜Con Cierta Luz｜某种光

Nicole Remy 妮可·雷米

2024｜0:15:34｜Australia, Spain｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Shapeless Variations｜Variaciones sin forma｜无形变奏

Francisco Rojas 弗朗西斯科·罗哈斯

2025｜0:10:58｜Chile｜No Dialogue｜Asian Premiere

Daccapo｜复始

Liam Baldini 利亚姆·巴尔迪尼

2025｜0:13:00｜Italy｜No Dialogue｜Chinese Mainland Premiere

By Night, the Morning｜Por la noche, la mañana｜夜以继日

Federica Cafferata, Napo Martino 费德丽卡·卡费拉塔，纳波·马尔蒂诺

2025｜0:07:12｜Argentina｜Spanish, English｜Asian Premiere