In Providenza, he worked on his film Holy Cow, an hybrid work between fiction and documentary that uses conflicting accounts of Joan of Arc's life to tell the story of a retired dairy cow auctioned for meat in the Cumbria region of the United Kingdom, and ultimately sentenced to death in a trial.
In Corsica, he naturally delved into the local terroir and livestock culture. He encountered a farmer and restaurateur from Rapale, Roger Bazziconi, through whom he was able to write and shoot several sequences for his film. They cooked brocciu together for the film and, more importantly, identified a cow that became one of the main characters in his film. He filmed her for several days to incorporate her into his editing and also into the installation he showcased to the public during the residency's presentation at the Providenza festival. His film is currently in the editing phase.
Alistair Debling
Unexpected equivalences - between Tudor fortresses and nuclear power stations, saints and dairy cows, gay bars and wild elephants - lie at the heart of Alistair Debling’s time-based practice. His work deploys iPhone footage, 16mm film, living ferments and performance interchangeably to investigate fields ranging from queer nightlife and ecology to militarism and architecture. He is currently based in Cumbria, UK, where he leads the kitchen at the Farmer’s Arms as an associate artist of Grizedale Arts.
For more information on his work, visit Alistair's website here.
