By the Lake (1994)

Bokanowski returns to the complex and mindbending optical array of pinholes mirrors prisms and refractive substrates of his earlier film La Plage to create the whimsical and playful Au bord du lac The film is composed of mundane everyday scenes of recreation and leisure on an idyllic sunny day at a park that overlooks a lake rowing a boat playing a game of volleyball rollerskating bicycling reading a newspaper sunbathing riding on horseback or strolling on the promenade shot through optical distortions to create fractured and knotted images that resemble embellished gothic fairytale illustrations or appear to resolve into morphing geometric patterns of fluid motion Evoking the vibrant colors and sunsoaked palette of an invigorated Vincent van Gogh in Arles Bokanowski transforms the quotidian into an infinitely mesmerizing dynamic kaleidoscope of shapeshifting textures and selfreconstituting objects of organic abstract art