Marianna Simnett’s animal and human protagonists are “always becoming something other than themselves.” Drawing upon the mythic structures of fairy tales and fables, her new video installation The Severed Tail explores the tail as a lost link between animal and human: a reminder of our “animal selves” that is reclaimed in the film through extreme episodes of fetish and play. Simnett takes the commonly practiced, if partially outlawed, procedure of animal tail docking through frenetic visual and narrative subversions to open up questions about the conventions of species, gender, and our relationship to others. The Severed Tail shifts between human and non-human actors to tell the story of a piglet’s radical journey through different layers of fetish worlds. The metamorphic and ultimately cathartic nature of this odyssey is amplified through the work’s spatial dimensions: the constantly shifting focal point of three asynchronous screens mirrors its protagonist’s sense of bewilderment and wonder, while a plush sculptural seating element—an outsized tail that snakes through the exhibition space—gestures towards what has been lost. A tale of transformation and desire, The Severed Tail delves into the slippages between species—and their mutual transformations—arguing for hybridity as a foundational state of being.
Album
Images
Marianna Simnett, The Severed Tail (still), 2022. 3-channel video installation with 7.1 surround sound, 20 minutes 30 seconds (loop) Courtesy the Artist; Société, Berlin. © Marianna Simnett
The Severed Tail
Production credits
Written, Directed and Edited by: Marianna Simnett
Produced by: Milana Murzo, Kasia Rycerska, nobodyreadsthetext_
Director of Photography: Robbie Ryan, BSC
Cast
Piglet
Kiani Del Valle
Puppy
Phoenix Chase-Meares
Killifish
Femi Oyewole
Seahorse
Frank Künster
Doogie Mouse
Parma Ham
Japanese Waltzing Mouse
Spook
Vacanti Mouse
Genesis Fawn
Squirrel
Mirna Funk
Dogshow Host
Colin Self
Corgi
Remo Silverpaw
Tomcat
Ingeborg Wie
Ostrich
Austin Fagan, Esselle Agency
Horse
Maia Joseph, Esselle Agency
Crow
Lorenzo Savino, Esselle Agency
Wolf
Nobutaka Shomura, Esselle Agency
Sheep
Nobutaka Shomura, Esselle Agency
Sheepdog
Giusy Cirillo, Esselle Agency
Farmer
Maciej Wilk
Production Designer: Emilia Margulies
Costume Designer: Mona May
Music Composed, Recorded and Performed by: Colin Self
Choreographer: Kiani Del Valle
Production Manager: Emily Palmer
1st Assistant Director: Dennis Gadour
1st Assistant Director Replacement: Kasia Rycerska
Production Assistant: Amanda Carrillo Gonzalez
1st Assistant to Set Designer: Kit Lewis
Assistants to Set Designer: Merlin Andrae, David Eder, Cyrill Kreißl, Tiarnan McMorrow, Jun Ortega
Camera 1st AC: Florence Skinner
Camera 2nd AC: Pia Klein
2nd Unit Camera: Leander Ott
2nd Unit 1st AC: Otis Witt
2nd Unit 2nd AC: Nicole Medvecka
Steadicam: Lucas Heinze
Video Operator: Jan Kroll
Grip: Daniele Boselli
Data Wrangler: Bartosz Mienik
Sound Recordist: Richard Meyer
Boom Operator: Max Knepper
Gaffer: Janne Ebel
Best Boy: Ben Stach
Electrician: Arne Weiss
Additional Light Labour: Regina Wiebe
Rigger: Paula Riquelme
1st Costume Assistant to Mona May: Halla Farhat
Costume Assistants: Gloria Sophie Wille, Diego Martinez, Vi Nghiem Tuong
Main Set Costumier: Ilona Karaczony
Set Costumiers: Gloria Sophie Wille, Diego Martinez, Sina Kempe
Commissioned pieces handmade by: Elodie Carstensen, Yao Liao
Piglet’s Crown handmade by: Marianna Simnett
Horse dress by: Studio Obectra
Sheep dress by: Krystian Szymczak
Tails by: Mowkys Den
Pup masks by: P&C Creations
Special Effects Makeup Artist: Una Ryu
Makeup Artist: Leana Ardeleanu
Makeup Artist Assistant: Caroline Raick
Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist Assistant: Dominika Obacz
Set Photographer: Krystian Lipiec
Guest Set Photographer: Vitali Gelwich
Sound Designed and Mixed by: Brendan Feeney, Wave Studios
Colour and Finishing Services: CHEAT
Colourist: Jack Mcginity
Visual Effects: Lukas Kölling, Thomas Lara, Hernan Santander, Oliver Speiser
Casting Agency: Esselle
Animal Training Agency: Ekkifant
Equipment: Arri Rental Berlin, Lichthaus Berlin
Catering: Sir Lunchalot
Location: Monopol, Berlin, Fläminger Weideschwein
Location Coordinator: Rodrigo Luisier Vollino
Special thanks to: Julia Ballantyne-Way, Christian Blumenstein, Mirela Costache, Rob Crosse, Andrew Dryhurst, Ben Eastham, Pascal Flamme, Sophie Neave, Angel Nieto, PupPlay Community, Berlin, Emily Rudge, Fabian Sabo, John Simnett, OMSK Social Club, Société, Berlin, Daniel Wichelhaus, Zabludowicz Collection
