Amir Motlagh

Three Worlds is evergreen part 2

What I’ve always found amazing about Amir Motlagh’s films is how he deals with connection in a disconnected world.....As Saam navigates his life and relationships, we as viewers are challenged to consider what is art, what is artifice, and what we think our world really is - Jamie Toth

I was sent this earlier and since it came recommended, i read it. Truth is, I don’t read attentively what people write about my work because good or bad, my creative pursuit wants to remain untethered to opinion, & its wave-like aftermaths.

But, when i get the impression that a connection was made, I get curious. And in this piece, that connection was made.

The Three Worlds piece by Jamie Toth can be read here or here.

still from Three Worlds

the changing faces of WHALE

i remember when ye (kanye w) iterated on a finished piece of work. maybe it was the life of pablo, can’t recall exactly but the timeline was full of mr west being lauded as the first artist to treat work as iterative, instead of absolute, like software (SaaS).

this came mostly from the VC techo-sphere, a top down propaganda arm that related everything to “software eating the world”.

of course, this was not the first case of this. it might have been the most public version, because of the sheer reach & influence of Mr Ye, but artists have iterated on finished works since cave paintings.

it’s of course a very different thing when said item is all digital. it’s much more difficult after you shipped out a million CD’s/DVDs but we are living in a different era altogether, where we leave no trace but 1/0’s behind.

my version of this iteration process occurred in 2009. i had finally finished my first feature film, WHALE, and released the work on DVD. this was a painstaking ordeal and had taken several years to finally get to the point of release. i felt somewhat relieved.

but, nearly right after we started both selling and sending out screeners, I couldn’t get rid of an itch, in fact I couldn’t sleep. i felt i had given up on the edit too soon, and knew that something was missing but i couldn’t work out the problem & i didn’t have the energy to face it (also, the tech issues at the time, with my PowerPC G5 giving up and project files being corrupted was part of this defeat).

in this fog of insomnia, on one of those nights i was taking nyquil just to fall asleep,i had a dream, and this dream was a direct solution to the problem, sound and visual. so, i went back to the edit room and came back several months later. now, it felt truly finished and i could sleep soundly again.

the other thing that’s changed over the years has been the keyart of the film, with the most recent refresh done by artist/designer Ali Sabet for the HD-re-release that went live in 2019 . this HD version of the film also has one or two tiny changes (i had to fire up a PowerPC mac running final cut pro 5 and this was a whole nightmare and another story). so, this new streaming version is in fact the finished version of the film, a v2.44 version as it stands.

below is some of the art over the years, including the rare OG DVD design.

WHALE keyart redesign done with the help of artist/designer Ali Sabet for HD re-release - 2019

WHALE DVD coverart for current in circulation DVD’s - 2010

WHALE original DVD front cover design for released, but scrapped version of the film - 2009

WHALE original DVD back cover design for released, but scrapped version of the film - 2009

A quick way to find some of my work on Tubi to stream for free

For the time being, I have four features available on the free streaming platform Tubi.

Just click to find WHALE, THREE WORLDS, MAN, & RAINBOW SEASON on this consolidated page.

I’m only slightly annoyed that some of my title cover art has been altered, but we move on….

film cover art on Tubi with slight modifications, lol

"each day and everyway" auction...

i just released this piece of digital art called “each day and everyway” on the platform FOUNDATION minted from my own contract.

the work is set for auction and it has received its first bid, meaning, if you are interested, you can go here and place your bid before the timer runs out.

each day and everyway
edition 1/1
2022



new work on the OpenSea, web2 web2.5 web3, film update with doxxed title, proof of life, what is time, mirs wakes, etc...

It feels strange with the current world background to go on about living as if we are distanced from exceedingly unnecessary human suffering. But we are cocooned in our bubbles. If you’ve had any experience with war, you realize very clearly that the whole is affected, regardless of the degrees of separation.

In my own case, I have to go about my work, my thoughts & my attention the same as it was. Consciousness is an arrow.

Recent tings:

Here is a proof of life pic in web2.5. Not my current PFP on socials, but nevertheless, I breathe. With all this excessive talk of the transition to web3, there are more similarities to the past decade than most want to admit, yet, a new base layer of influentials has made a mark. With the soon insurgency of legacy media, safe to say things will look even more similar.

i exist, a pfp

In this fully doxxed web2.5 version of me, I get to talk about my new feature film in post-production. I can finally release the title, a proper doxxing if you will - "Young Ali: those were the days". Hopefully, we can finish the post by the end of Q2. I cannot be certain the film will release this year, but I would like that. Post-production at this stage is being handled in Chicago, and I am proud of our team, and what we have been able to create.

I recently released three works on OpenSea in my first collection which essentially conclude all my March drops. I have yet to transition to my other mediums, but I suppose I will in time. Cinema in particular is full of friction and doesn’t make the best transition over. But, we will hammer in the peg. We are working.

______

March OpenSea Drops:

the wind will carry us, creature
edition 1/3
.24Ξ

Description:

in my youth, some of my favorite memories involved long cross-country trips with my father. this desire for the empty road, the expansive middle continued into adulthood.

little ape boi, dream (part 1)
edition 1/1
1.5Ξ

Description for both part 1 and part 2:

we are all little ape bois trying to find our way home. this little ape boi has yet to awaken. help him on his journey through the dreamscape on this starry night.

little ape boi, dream (part 2)
edition 1/1
1.5Ξ

Awakening:

Last but not least, Mirs has awakened for this new szn. New release imminent.

0xcandyflipmedaddy 1/1 Mixed Media NFT

I just dropped a new 1/1 piece on the OpenSea. It’ll find a home when it needs one. You can purchase it here (I might consider a fair bid but I’m not in any particular hurry…that said, anything is possible ;)

Description:

"0xcandyflipmedaddy" is a neon journey through a thin line between layer 0 & layer 1. where dreams are birthed, where ghosts haunt, where love is lost, found & recycled.

edition 1/1

0xcandyflipmedaddy
edition 1/1
.77Ξ

Extensionism Origins Volume 0 - Genesis and the future

Hi friends, this has been an extended silent period, but only on the surface. Under the hood, lots going on, but we will get to that in another entry.

My identity, the one that has identified itself as myself is that of a creator - I have been crafting works, in multiple mediums, exhibited at galleries, film festivals & microcinemas for years, and with this windy trail, I’ve always held a staunch focus on ownership. In the last few months, I’ve been thinking of what to do with works that have not found homes or were never intended to find homes. Art is many times an act of nothingness from nothingness, a commitment to the now, by extension, a nonexistent future. When we sober up from the trance, we occasionally think of what now occupies my thoughts.

Keeping my works in a vault is an act of unnecessary attachment, even if demand does not exist. They need a chance to breathe on their own, an untethering if you will. My process has always been forward-oriented so things get forgotten, left in an attic once the wheels start turning again. This is not fair to that which is a consciousness of its own. With newfound clarity, I believe these works desire new homes and at the least, a chance to find independence in semi-permanency.

While I work on the new material, I am releasing some of these spontaneous or archived pieces to make their way onto the internet, locked on-chain. This gives me an opportunity to connect, and also keep my process going.

I have several projects that will go live in the coming months. But first, some 2D art from a collection titled Extensionism Origins Volume 0. There is one genesis piece that was put up as an NFT months prior titled MIKASA 2021, just to test the system. I had no idea what, and if I would pursue this space, full of reservations & equally deep in another project.

I know the arguments against NFTs (& crypto in general) but they do not hold up in my opinion. Not after my own personal alpha/beta involvement, skin in the game & witnessing the joy of community & fun. There are plenty of negatives, of course, they just do not outweigh the positives at this time. We live in a world swallowed by controlling megacorps, but for these few months now, the dream of an alternative has blossomed. A dream is good enough for me. The return of fanzines, access & possibilities.

While the OG genesis piece MIKASA 2021 sits as a 1/1, I will start releasing new drops before the other media goes live. These will not be 1/1’s, but a low edition number with low prices. I want people to access them if they desire, & profits feedback into the lab. For one, I have a feature film that is in post that needs additional funds for finishing. I have a record in post that will benefit from additional funds for finishing, and that is how it goes when you own your work. Fundraising never stops.

My hope is of course that the works are supported & I know that I would have to prove that value in time, but, ultimately, it is a process of letting go. It’s a difficult step to take, shooting as it were into the void. Ultimately, the release signifies a movement away from the past, a rebirth.

With that said, below is <\> ~ = duplicate extensionism, an edition of 5 as an NFT.

three eleven or (a meditation on stillness inside chaos) // [free through july]

Starting today (7-11-20), "my latest single-channel film work, “three eleven or (a meditation on stillness inside chaos)” is available to stream for free on Youtube & Vimeo through the month of July. Links below.

You can continue to buy/support the work here:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/threeeleven

**note: headphones advised**

On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, the United States went into shutdown to keep citizens sheltered from the threat of a mysterious global pandemic sweeping the world. In this meditative days-in-the-life-of work, a small family experiences the fog of time from a mandatory stay at home order, as a strange, comforting togetherness forms in a very uncertain time.

--
directors statement:

"three eleven" is a meditation. It is a reflection of boredom, of togetherness, of uncertainty, and most of all, stillness. It intends to direct the viewer into the granularity of life in its most basic, mundane practicalities, and thus, direct focus into the beauty of routine, and of the nowness, all while under the umbrella of impending & uncertain chaos, a lingering scent of anxiety as the real outside world experiences shocks unlike any other in modern times.

It is intended as an experience, hypnosis, and a reflection. The stillness is the message. While stripping the “narrative” of the filmic medium into its most minimal building block, the frame clicks out of “narrative” time, and into clock time. It’s a universal acknowledgment of this very “moment in time”, and we intend for this to be a visual/audio documentation at its most basic level while conveying the beauty of togetherness and separation at its most minimal.

This work is indebted to Ozu & Kiarostami, who oddly enough (the latter), and without my prior knowledge shares his birthday with our release date.

----
credits:

Shot & Directed by Amir Motlagh
Produced by ANIMALS & Charles Borg
Story by Charles Borg & Amir Motlagh
Music by Amir Motlagh (three eleven zazen) - BMI
© ANIMALS 2020

----
release date: 06/22/20
trt: 33 min
original aspect: 1:85:1

"three eleven zazen" now available as a standalone audio track

The release of my latest work “three eleven or (a meditation on stillness inside chaos)” includes a single track 33min 11sec composition titled “three eleven zazen” that is now available as a standalone purchase.

You can pick it up now for $5 USD on the ANIMALS Bandcamp. I think it’s best to experience the film first, but I cannot dictate my preferences in the digi space. Do as you wish my friend.

This marks the first time I’ve used my full name on a commercial music release.

The film is below. The soundtrack is below that (just click the image).

love in the great uncertainty

“mirs experiences love loss during the beginning of a great crisis period.”

written & directed by Amir Motlagh
produced by Charles Borg, ANIMALS, Amir Motlagh
music by Mirs

ep available only through Bandcamp:
https://mirs.bandcamp.com/album/love-in-the-great-uncertainty

tracklist as they appear:

soma (demo2044)
minima (demo2020)
namu (demo1984)

below are links to Youtube & Vimeo. under that is the link to the EP.