Vita Nova

In his famous essay Mythologies (1957), Roland Barthes demystified the French colonial imperialism by means of a photograph that appeared on the cover of Paris-Match. This picture, that became an icon of modern criticism, shows a colonial cadet on guard.Vita Nova unveils the biographical ghost underneath the surface of this mythical picture. When recited, Barthes words reveal slowly their hidden meaning: the unmeasurable weight of an historically burdened heritage. Vita Nova is a spiral movie in which History (Histoire), now chaotic in its temporality, returns in a more certain form as story (histoire). The found Time of history is here the survival to the image. It is the now, the temporality of the living, the untimeliness of the reciter.

NB: Vita Nova is prioritarily part of an exhibition display. Single screenings are possible but restricted. Please contact us at distribution@argosarts.org for further informations and before programming this video.