During the pandemic of 2020, when the fight against COVID-19 had everyone locked inside their homes, blocked from the outside world, a group of artists started creating short films that would change the way they approach their work. At first, isolated and working in their own way, then collaborating more and more on an endeavour that culminated in the release of these individual films.

Asking friends and acquaintances for assistance and collaboration, sparked a flood of interest from like-minded artists. Some in the commercial field, others in marketing and some in freelance positions but all of them locked down and nowhere to go. Thus, started a movement that developed into the conceptual work that soon spiralled out into a larger art for art’s sake project.

New Direction was formed in the chaos that was COVID-19 and the pandemic that hit our home turf hard. It was perhaps the endeavour to give a few artists the platform to collaborate, play and do something worthwhile but it grew into a movement that is bent on celebrating the unique aspect of each human’s creative approach to work and life.

4x4 En Route

The first volume from New Direction is entitled “4X4 En Route”. The creation of four separate short films, from four respective editors and artists; all created from the exact same raw footage.

It is the interpretation of the work by Ben Coutouvidis. Four editors were given raw footage from the filming of Ben’s art - the creation of labyrinths in nature.

In Coutovidis’ art, he expresses the need to keep on moving – the necessity to have constant motion. This also manifests in the meticulous creation of a labyrinth that leads the spectator on a transcendental journey. The footage of the documentation of Coutouvidis’ creation had been given to four editors to create a short film on this.

See the respective interpretations being showcased here, the inception of New Direction’s embrace of collaboration among artists.