Ariane Loze

The video *Kolumba* is based on a method developed since 2008 by Ariane Loze, an artist who wears many hats: both behind and in front of the camera, she stages herself in various ways, multiplying her appearances in the editing process and creating a dialogue between her “doubles”. This hybrid approach mirrors her career path: as an actress, Ariane Loze has also trained in directing and performance. Kolumba opens with a shot of an “Ariane” sitting in the grass at the edge of a forest, sharing a discovery with an off-screen interlocutor, voiced by the same person. A third Ariane, dressed and styled differently, joins the discussion. This multiplication, made possible by the filmic play on frames and points of view, suggests the presence of different characters – or the plurality of voices within a single individual, in a confusion fuelled by the artist through the similarities and dissonances she sows. The staged exchange revolves around the quest for meaning, punctuated by epiphanies: one of the Arianes has just resigned, “freedom calls her”, but another, playing devil’s advocate, retorts: “What about security?”. The film then shows the various Arianes in isolation, in contemplation and reflection, sharing their observations with us. They are carried along by the exploration of their surroundings, as minimalist as they are mystical: first, the country chapel in Wachendorf, then the Kolumba Museum of Religious Art in Cologne, both designed by the architect Peter Zumthor. Through images of great beauty and poetry (the natural light streaming into the chapel, the play of shadows cast by the leaves of the Judas trees) and by invoking conventional phrases and clichéd reactions (“nature is so much greater”), Ariane Loze raises questions about spirituality, the individual’s relationship with themselves, and their place in the world.

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