An old Russian Akula submarine gets a new captain. But Captain Pavel seems to care very little about the navy or war. Indeed, he prefers to lead group discussions about spiritual matters and dresses in a cassock; his favourite pastime is shamanic drumming. The more traditional sailors begin to have doubts. The Captain believes the Earth is calling us and that we need to answer.
Formally, the work is unusual in that it successfully blends a narrative drama with an experimental video approach. The artist was featured in a 6 page interview in Art Monthly Issue 390 in 2015 where the mixture of genres was discussed.
The research question in ‘Akula Dream’ is; Can video art also contain a narrative plot? The distinctions between artist’s film and artist’s video have all softened in recent years. Barber’s research is to propose and test a kind of hybrid, multi-form that recognises the de-historicising that has taken place and thus there is a new space to be researched. The film uses well-established actors and was shot on a real Soviet submarine. In common with the other works in Barber’s Mindset Suite, e.g. ‘Dude Down’ or ‘The Freestone Drone’, ‘Akula Dream’ references the ubiquity of military thinking and the state of constant war that we find ourselves in. Additionally, interweaves ecological concerns but re-stages them within a submarine thriller genre. The works are in the tradition of Godardian essay films but again audiences view moving image differently and are not so invested in categories or traditions. Lastly, Barber’s unusual writing style, and plot about a Russian sub Captain getting into shamanic drumming, again both reconfigure genres and make a case for a ‘third space’ that has elements of mainstream production but is also clearly video art.
As research, ‘Akula Dream has been successful; the traditional film crowd like it as it is genre-pushing by their standards, and the art crowd like it because it has pace and a plot, something of a respite in their world. It received a standing ovation at Oberhausen, Germany’s oldest film festival.
