Five arms are struggling to silence three telephones, an alarm clock and a timer without success. This rejection of communication and more generally of what connects us to time is a pretext for a new experimentation where you “hear what you see” and vice versa. These simple gestures, intended to break an unwanted process, are repeated in a quasi-schizophrenic way. The result is a choreographic and musical fight that will end with some effort.
Acommunication – TRT 5:29 mins.
Jean-Michel Rolland, a musician for a long time then a painter, focus on video art to make his two favorite medium meet: sound and image. At the origin of each of his creations, musicality plays a role as important as image does and each one influences the other by transmediality. The result is a series of experimental videos where sound and image are so inseparable that the one without the other would lose its meaning.
He particularly appreciates using short sequences (samples) and repeat them all along his experimentations, wishing to transfigure commonplaces into coherent work. The sequences are treated as mere utensils, found objects, used to create visual and musical compositions at a time.
Unlike Scriabine’s, Kandinsky’s or even Schoenberg’s works, neither sound or image come first ; the two mediums take birth in a same creative impulse intended to be reactivated.
Jean-Michel Rolland – Paris France
17 Days Video Series 
I really enjoy this videos creativity creating a beat out of the various electronics. The one thing that kinda agitated me over the video was the fact that most of the arms were either half in the frame, or all in the frame. There was no common amount of arm showing in each portion of the video. I may just be picky, but that would be my only change is to add symmetry to it.
Great concept. I enjoy seeing a musician able to use both talents to create fun and interesting video. I agree with Christ T. in that some of the shots were slightly outta frame and I too found that distracting from the over all video.
I love that you made an enjoyable rhythm out of noises that would by them selves and somewhat in the beginning stress me out… it is crazy how much we rely on technology these days.
I get a neuronic feeling from this piece especially with with people and communication now a days we always have to check what is going on and what others are doing.
I love that the fact that your description is the opposite of what I was thinking before I read your description. I say this because at first I thought that you were making rhythms and beats with the different telephones and alarm clocks and you’re actually trying to stop them from making sound! I love it!!
This is basically how I feel about life and time and other people lately. There are so many things that are constantly calling our attention away from the moment we’re actually in, things that need our attention immediately (supposedly). When did it get like this? Why can’t we ignore a phone call or escape from it? Why are we so crunched for time always? Why is everything happening right now?
I really think this concept is relevant to young people and probably annoying to older people who don’t understand the use of technology. I think the concept of time is important and how we as a society these days use our time. I know I hit the snooze in the morning, but if the phone rang, I would answer it. I feel this has a lot to do with priorities and it was almost overwhelming to watch, which was successful.
Wow, that was both beautiful and annoying at the same time. I started to get into the music, but those sounds naturally give me anxiety! It’s strange that people have to be so connected through cell phones, and yet complain about hearing constant alerts or summons from these electronics.
One thing I noticed that worked well was the placement of the two frames. When there wasn’t an item thrown into the middle it looked like one frame meshed together. Great concept. It’s gets a little redundant, but needs that redundancy.
The idea and concept is what really makes this video work. There are so many things in life fighting for our attention constantly, most of the time they involve electronics. The constant noise paired with video, successfully creates a chaotic/urgent feeling. The one thing that doesn’t work for me is how the arm isn’t always fully in frame, but cut in half.
We are always fighting with our electronics but rely on them so much. I feel that most people couldn’t properly function without them. I like how the repetition and rhythm reflects the ways we use technology today.
Amazing way to integrate sound together in a new way. I loved the way the came together especially in the end. I feel that you captured what you were trying to convey with trying to escape the world. Trying to silence what is around you is not an easy task. I really enjoyed this film and look forward to more from you.
This video starts off slowly then slowly speeds up and To me, it gets irritating to listen to. I see it as a current trend in technology. The noises of cell phones and alarms represent other unnatural sounds of our age.
Love the concept. I like the way the screen are spit up and how all the sounds come together to pretty much make music.