EDITION RUINE DER KUENSTE BERLIN

 

skor-lam

Prayer Wheels, Amulets, Prostrations/

sKor-lam - Gebetsmuehlen, Amulette, Niederwerfungen

A video document by

Wolf Kahlen

German, 1985-90, 108 minutes

 

In this film the artist and Tibet expert Wolf Kahlen draws an

intense picture of one single, but central Tibetan issue:

The daily practice of circumambulations, called sKor-lam,

pronounced Cora, the 'circle road'.

The film method of extremely long takes

and the repetitious character of all

events and rituals which establish 'The Time 'on the road'

of a pilgrimage, present the viewer 'a space of time' to arrive,

accomodate and appreciate 'the other' use,of time

and its eternal return.

The Tibetan is a nomade in general. Permanently on the move.

Spoken in Buddhist terms: Within the cycle of life

and reincarnation, the cycle of nature

and the one of detachment and nondetachment...

The essential subject of skor-lam is the encircling

of powerful sites, buildings, incarnated lamas, 'religious' objects.'

the Holy City of Lhasa.

Objects of the practices are the the prayer wheels

personal rosaries

the huge prayer wheel drums, amulets at the body or in the

branches of trees alongside the path, repeated prostrations at

temple doors or for cilometers or over months, incense and

juniper burnings ,offerings at iron-chain bridges

or yakhide ferries.

Central theme is the flow of the river of time, the great

"kor-lam of life, the Wheel of Time.

Like the 108 beads of the rosary the film takes 108 minutes.

Actually it should be endless, a circ1e in itself. Consequently

it is never filnished and subject to change from year to year,

since more material shall be accumulated. The material used so

far has been taken in 1985 till 1990 in various parts of Tibet,

at all seasons

and in other Tibetan inhabited parts of the Himalayas.

In two or three years another 108 minutes could be assembled,

the,second bead, then the third ...

                                                Second edition, new, Euro 155,- Order here: ruine-kuenste.berlin@snafu.de

» More videos

 (back to main page)
Copyright 2000