Anthony Furness films
Ich habe genug
I have now completed work on a short film entitled 'Ich habe genug'. This is the title of cantata 82 by J.S.Bach. The text, from the Gospel of St Luke, tells of the aged Simeon, who on seeing the baby Jesus in the temple, now wants to end his life in peace. He says 'Ich habe genug' (I am content). The central aria, beginning "Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen (Fall asleep, you weary eyes, gently blessed; Oh, world, I will not longer tarry here ...") is one of Bach's most famous creations.
I have used the version Bach wrote for sopran, flute and continuo which I recorded in St Mark's Church in Stockholm.The musicians are Eva Karpe, organ; Karin Frölén, soprano; Erik Sunnerstam, flute. The filming was done in my own studio at home and in Karin Furness studio where I used her art work.
The film is 25 minutes. There are two text versions: English – I am Content. Swedish – Jag är tillfreds.
CV
Exhibitions
Kalejdoskåpet öppnar sig, Riksutställningar. Idea, script, workshop. Exhibition and workshop about mathematics, especially geometry, and connections to science and art. The exhibition toured Sweden for five years and was shown in Denmark and Paris.
Time Keys. Black and white photographs. Self-portraits on a theme of time and dance. Galleri Aguéli, Stockholm.
Fem Sår/Five Wounds, Markuskyrkan, Stockholm
Två Processioner/Two Processions. Kulturhuset, Stockholm. September 18 - 21 Nov 2004.
I dodekaederns rum/Within the Dodecahedron. Navet Science Center. Borås, Sweden. Permanent exhibition.
Fortuna – a requiem. A 30 minute film made from still photographs. Markuskyrkan, Stockholm.
Marking Time, 11 Feb - 6 March. Centrum för fotografi. Stockholm.
During the exhibition there was an evening showing of two films made from still photographs. Fortuna – a requiem, 30 minutes, with music from Duruflés requiem. Dance with My Child, 20 minutes, with specially composed music by Kina Sellergren (cornetto) and Karin Frölén (song).
Since 2017 I have been making new films. My previous films have been made from photographs. Now I combine photography with filming. This has resulted in several films: Moments with My Mother, Agnus Die with music by Karin Höghielm, and A Shrine for My Sorrows which can be seen on my Vimeo site. https://vimeo.com/576688205
Television programmes
I have scripted several television programmes for Utbildningsradion/Swedish Educational Television including a five minute sequence with my own photographs shown October 2004.
I was educated at The University of Aberdeen and Goldsmith’s College, University of London.
A Shrine for My Sorrows
I decide to build a shrine for my sorrows. I gather my sorrows from the marsh. But the shrine should be by the sea.
Black and white photographs and film taken in my studio alternate with film from the Swedish island of Fårö. In April and May I recorded a variety of birds on Fårö. Their calls and songs form the soundtrack, together with sounds of the sea, wind and running streams.
I worked on the film from January to July 2021. The film is 15 minutes. It can be seen at:
https://vimeo.com/600106404
And Sung no More
The title is taken from the English madrigal The Silver Swan by Orlando Gibbons.
It is filmed on the Swedish island of Fårö in 2018 and 2020 and is just over 28 minutes long.
Old photographs of my mother and of myself stir memories as I wander the coast of Fårö. Swans, a dead Black Guillemot and the wreck of the old cargo ship Fortuna become symbols.
The film falls naturally into three parts filmed on three separate visits to Fårö. The first centres round the photographs of my mother and myself. One can see the silent Mute Swans that patrol the coast and the Whooper Swan, with the yellow bill.
In the second you can see me wandering the along the sea coast.
The final part could be titled Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). Just a few days before I arrived on the island I had recorded a choir singing a modern composition which uses the biblical text of the prayer Agnus Dei. I had previously sung in the work with the choir. Now the music was still ringing in my ears.
Below are 5 excerpts from the film. The complete film can be seen at: https://vimeo.com/603737119 See above.
Excerpt 1 from And Sung no More
Excerpt 2 from And Sung no More
Still from And Sung no More
Still from And Sung no More
And Sung no More excerpt 3
And Sung no More excerpt 4
Agnus Dei. The final part of And Sung no More.
When I returned to Fårö in October 2020 I decided to work on the Norsholmen peninsula, close to the wreck of Fortuna. As I worked the idea of using the prayer Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) began to develop. I filmed and photographed the wreck and the sheep that were nearby. The music is 'Agnus Dei' by Karin Höghielm, composed in 2016. I recorded a choir singing the work just a few days before I left for Fårö.
The text of the prayer is:
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
The cargo ship Fortuna ran aground and broke up in a storm in 1969. The crew were all saved.
Excerpt 5 from And Sung no More
Thank you!
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