INSIDE OUT - DE DINTRE A FORA (Viatge en tren)

INSIDE OUT - DE DINTRE A FORA (Viatge en tren) 

from Xavier Bentue on Vimeo.

“There's a train crossing landscape and someone in is looking outside. Trees and mountains, and golden fields or grey-blue skies are fading into a string of chaining shots; the more closer they are, the more blur they appear. There's a human being crossing landscape, a thinking landscape behind the window glasses, a steel red skin reflecting faces and places and scenes. There're trees and mountains looking at the train when it passes through. Grass and flowers capture his colors for a second. In a windy moment of confusion everything seems to be swapping, feeling inside out”.

The idea of “INSIDE OUT - DE DINTRE A FORA  (Viatge en tren)” pays attention to the simple experience of travelling (by train),  with a fully introspective look even so this is explained through unclearly defined objects and a non stopping accidental scenery.  Mind and perception drive along this trip in motion interchanging the inside and outside reality, in a sort of emotional brightness and association.

This simple audiovisual project has his own little history. It belongs to a long process started twenty years ago, in China.  I was sketching on a train, travelling from North to South,  capturing images freehand with the pencil and the block as this mean could do the same as a still camera.  Two years later,  I “developed”  those “snapshots” on a large scroll painting,  trying to maintain the essence of the experience,  but painting is not like drawing, nor like feeling landscape from the train in motion.  Finally, almost twenty years later, I took the train again,  this time with a videocam (the most genuine tool for capturing moving images) and made the new “sketches”.  Then I confronted all those materials, pictures, paintings and sketches, and I’ve done some digital manipulation and made some music to put it all together in this visual collage.  I think something is voicing there,  and it’s not only me. 

Short bio of the people involved in this project:
  

     Xavier Bentué  (Barcelona, 1962)

• Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree  (University of Barcelona, 1998) . 
• Visual and Plastic Arts Teacher  (Education Dept. of Catalonia Government).
• Landscape and Garden Designer

      

      Manu Benavente  (Barcelona, 1970)

• Filmmaker
• Director and Executive Producer
• Head Associate of Manual Productions, Inc.

      Montse Alacuart  (Barcelona, 1965)

• Costume Design  (Theatre & TV)
• Stage Manager  (Theatre & TV) 
• Teacher, illustrator and artist.

About Xavier Bentué Alonso:

Born in Barcelona (1962).   Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree  (University of Barcelona, 1998)

He started drawing as an autodidact when he was young. He took up some free instruction in music  (drums, solfeggio, guitar basis…) and also became very interested in natural science (local flora sketches) and philosophy.

Between 1995 and 1996 He spent one year in Xi’an,  P.R. of China, learning traditional chinese painting and culture.

He developed a full freelance career as a Landscape and Garden Designer in his country,  carrying out more than 30 private gardens. 

The last 10 years He’ve been teaching Garden Design together with Visual and Plastic Arts Instruction for the Department of Education of Catalonia Government.