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James Ely

Koyaanisqatsi

Here is James Ely's take on a scene from Koyaanisqatsi (1982).

• Video transcript

  The title reads ‘Koyaanisqatsi’. The word has its origins from the Hopi language. It is a noun which means: 

  1. crazy life 

  2. life in turmoil 

  3. life out of balance 

  4. life disintegrating 

  5. a state of life that calls for another way of living 

  [Edgy music with drums and bass] 

  We see what appears to be drawings on a wall.  

  There is a flying object going in circles in the air. It is a footage of a disfigured rocket on fire in reverse capturing the exact moment of explosion. 

  [We can hear indisctinct audio of a male-sounding newsreader speaking about a space programme and about the loss of lives of five men and two women] 

  We can see closeup shots of the rockets.  

  We can now see what appears to be a sped-up footage of people walking around in a stock exchange.
  
  [We hear a female-sounding newsreader share updates of the fall in the stock market.] 
  

  Close ups of people, some of them look tense. We look at an exchange between a customer and the sellers at an ice-cream shop. There are closeup shots of people in a hospital. This entire sequence is in reverse. 

  We see in reverse: a fire rescue personnel in a crowded area, a shirtless masculine-appearing person through a glassless window, a blonde feminine-appearing person sitting inside a black car and a masculine-appearing person getting medical attention.