Two neo-peasants, digital avatars in the flesh, are put to work by a mini usb windmill in order to keep the village running. They imagine themselves alone and are surprised when their paths finally cross. Serendipity?
Rural Rumor is a millennial experiment par excellence, whose generational humor – absurd, digital, post-ironic – will raise any eyebrows that are too old or too young. Its protagonists, a he and a she, live the stereotypical dream of returning to premodernity, but do so in the social reality of the deserted Romanian countryside. Unaware of the other, each goes about their own business, as if they were remotely operated – like in early video games – by the orders of some portable mini-USB fans. They will eventually meet, pursuing, beyond all improbable absurdities, and of Google Translate philosophies on individuality, obedience, work and art. (Călin Boto, BIEFF 2022)
The French artists Chrystèle Nicot and Antoine Alesandrini (b. 1989 and 1985) studied at the Beaux-Arts of Paris and at ESRA. Since 2017 they have been collaborating actively on various projects in France and abroad, developing a hybrid practice, between film and sculpture often merging into interactive pieces. Their work has been shown in contemporary art venues (such as Fondation d’Entreprise Ricard, Grand Palais, Salon de Montrouge), while their films were presented at festivals (Sharjah Film Platform, Côté court, Série Mania with le Fresnoy, Studio national, the Cinémathèque Française). They are now conducting research based on actual forms of autonomies and peasantry in relation to digital technologies.