Il Pellegrino Dormiente

Shot, hand developed and edited by: Stefano Pasotti
Cinematography: Fabio Possanzini
Cast: Pellegrino, Varg, Federica
Music: Bonedrum
Rental: Moovie
Scan: Cinelab London

Shot with a Bolex H16 on expired Ilford HP5 film

Acknowledgments: Debitum Naturae, Ars Macabra, John Masiero,
Sirah from Afterlife, Niki from Antumnos, Magda from Ars Macabra,
Nat & Ele from Wild Matters, Miky from Hiraeth, Laura Savicka,
Andrew Campbell, Hannah Hammond

This short film documents the artistic collective 'Debitum Naturae' which is based on the crafting of animal remains, obtained cruelty freely.
The goal is to show part of the working process while explaining the members of the collective’s philosophy and ideals.

No animal was harmed in the making of this film.

VOICEOVER:
It’s difficult to answer the question of who I am or what I do.
I’ve always loved nature. Yet I still had something missing.
A secret fear for what humanity always had, fascination, fear, repulsion for. Death.
Thus I’ve decided to found 'Debitum Naturae'. An artistic collective dealing with macabre art and ecological disclosure. The criticism that we sometimes receive is that we contribute in some way to the cruelty towards nature. In reality what we do is the exact opposite.
Cruelty means to commit violence freely or malevolently. And sometimes the animals we collect were indeed victims of cruelty. To not consider the mortal remains of a creature that used to be alive honourable material, to me it means to not respect its own spirit.
My senses are real and vivid. Walking in the tall grass or unearthing with my nails long abandoned bones, for me it’s the same thing.
Plunging myself up to my knees in the water or tucking my hands to up my wrists in the blood, for me it’s the same thing.
Gazing at a thousand years old painting or observing the bones carved by our hands, for me it’s the same thing.
Aren’t maybe life and death the same thing? Isn’t one part of the other? Aren’t they the two faces of the same coin? I don’t know. I know they can be. As I can be both sleeping and a pilgrim.
I’m sure of one thing. I am macabre art. I am nature. I am the sleeping pilgrim. I am life and death. I am Debitum Naturae.