The Saint Heron Agency & The Woolmark Company present “Passage,” a motion portraiture reverencing the process of design and creation in an allegorical amalgam of visual poetry, fiction and surrealism. Celebrating the 2021 International Woolmark Prize Finalists, Saint Heron empowers the collections’ voices through a theatrical voyage where the stage is set for each design to have a life of its own. A voice of its own. “Passage” is a deeply thoughtful exploration of sustainability and the stages of creation: contemplation, conjuring, courage, optimism, vulnerability, discipline and strength. What do these creations think about us? The spaces they take on? The stories they tell?
“I remember listening to a lecture of Kodwo Eshun’s where he spoke about objects as a living source. He asked 'what would a chair think about us as we left the room?' I began to think a lot about garments, specifically wool as a living source that comes from life, thus, gives life through its creation. These garments get no autonomy in the bodies who inhabit them. I began my own meditation on this process. This led me to write a 6 Act play where the scenes are concentrated motions between stage, nature and surrealism. Echoing themes of conjuring and ceremonious celebrations, the film creates an abstraction to embody the various expressions and textures of each designer.” -Solange Knowles
“Passage” probes a survey of the full body experience of reality, and translates that to all elements of theater - the spectator, the performer, the writer, the stage and the story.
“I got my start in theater, I was about 10 years old when I started to attend the Ensemble Theater in Houston. It was there I learned how to write monologues and scripts - and the magic and expansiveness of all of the expressions the theater holds. I’ve been recently really inspired a lot by John P Allen’s “Theater of all Possibilities,” and his beliefs rooted in the idea that “everything is theater” .
As I further my interest in theater and performance I am continuously thinking about new ways to communicate via the stage. How to use light, sounds, gestures, music, movement to say a multitude of things without saying anything verbally at all. “Passage” affirms that ability with imagery that champions the connection between reality and surreality. The piece is a living demonstration of interconnectedness through collaboration, and functions to engage a sense of presence in the space, both behind and ahead of us.” - Solange Knowles
Created and Written by Solange Knowles for The Saint Heron Agency, and Directed by McArthur Award-winning director Wu Tsang, the film also draws from the masterful styling of Ib Kamara and an original score by Standing on The Corner. “Passage” contextualizes the interconnectedness of creative design, material, sustainability and elements of space. What begins as a singular abstraction of introspective vision, is ultimately divine orchestration of an ecosystem for collective consciousness. In collaboration with The Woolmark Company, Saint Heron is proud to present, "Passage."
