Nostos Erda
Submission by Laura Aguilera Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski
Nostos Erda, a film by Laura Aguilera inspired by Alice Potts’ biomaterial designs, poses critical questions while touching the possibility of a long-term existence of humans on this planet. The correction proposed emphasizes the limited resources we have and offers to change the approach towards waste-free production, applying modernized technologies to use alternative materials. We are introduced to a metamorphosis of bodily fluids, human sweat, into unique crystals, generating new biomaterial.
The film rediscovers the lost connection to nature and natural elements: water, fire, earth, wind. We encounter two characters innovative in their approach who, in the heat of the desert, explore the available elements. We witness unforgettable scenes — Victor Reyes climbing the mountain or Yosephine Aldomar running through the desert then working on alchemical processes perfecting the final results.
Laura describes the location the team was looking for to film Nostos Erda, “I was looking for a vast landscape of cliffs, narrow gorges, and Mars-like sand, a place that seemed futuristic but also had the reminiscence of early life.”
Film by Laura Aguilera Inspired by Alice Potts Written by Zoë Grisedale-Sherry Producer Aroha Ortego Production Assistant Irene Aguilera Starring Victor Reyes & Yosephine Aldomar DOP Jorge Rico 1AC Jean Ambrojo Stylist Sara Varela Production Designer Fiorella Pomarino Art Assistant Laura Serrano Hair and Make up Alba Córdoba BTS Stills Irene Aguilera BTS Video Nerea Díaz VO Artist Ziggy Heath Editor Jamie Hodson & Marta Champan Composer Tom Evans at Particle Sound Colourist Nigel Tadyanehondo Graphic Design Ana SFresneda
Special thanks to
Alice Potts LAZKANO Felipe Longoni at Trend Models
We speak with the team about the project and the central theme — biodesign as a powerful mechanism behind sustainable clothing manufacturing. The film highlights waste-free production by introducing the idea of treating human sweat as a biomaterial turned into crystals. Nostos Erda will be screened at Victoria House Basement at the beginning of July in London in an offline event.
‘My growing interest in the changes needed in the context of today’s environmental and ecological challenges and the question of how we can see nature as a partner rather than just a resource led me to the innovative discipline of biodesign.’
Nostos Erda
Nostos Erda turns our attention to the future we construct for the planet and the responsibilities we have today. Important questions are posed in this project as “What are the true costs of fashion production?” How did the idea for the film originate, and how was it developed or transformed in the pre-production phase?
Nostos Erda is my final Master film and was shot in summer 2020. The pre-production was entirely done during the first outbreak of the pandemic and was definitely influenced by it. I spent the first lockdown in Spain, where the restrictions were especially difficult; not being able to go outdoors for a couple of months made me very aware of the space around me. Then I started to explore connections between body, earth, nature, Ana Mendieta’s performative approach (the spiritual and physical connection with earth), and Ecofeminist theories from the '70s.
My growing interest in the changes needed in the context of today’s environmental and ecological challenges and the question of how we can see nature as a partner rather than just a resource led me to the innovative discipline of biodesign. Over the years, we have been progressively empowering ourselves, becoming more differentiated and unique as human beings, but in the process, we have been pulling back from the natural world. The film aims to raise awareness of the positive impact of the emergence of biotechnologies in fashion to create a sustainable alternative future.
‘In the first conversation we had, Alice went through her process and how she started her work with human sweat. She explained how the salty liquid from our sweat glands actually tells so much about the individual.’
Biomaterial Design
The film features biomaterial Alice Potts’ work, who is creating innovative, waste-free processes to reform the fashion industry. Let's discuss this project - the similarities and differences of the visual you decided to present in the film.
During the 2020 lockdown, I spent some of the time in conversations with people whose work I admire: cinematographers, photographers, designers, and visual artists. I guess everyone had a lot of spare time, and they were happy to have chats about their work. One of these professionals I contacted was Alice Potts. In the first conversation we had, Alice went through her process and how she started her work with human sweat. She explained how the salty liquid from our sweat glands actually tells so much about the individual and their biomechanics that make the foundation of a sweat crystal. The primary electrolytes contained in sweat under a microscope are tiny crystals that are affected by age, gender, environment, diet, and the combination of these makes the catalase towards each crystal unique to the person.
I find Alice’s work fascinating, and after that conversation, I put some references together, created a treatment, and proposed to her my idea of a film featuring her samples of human-sweat-crystals and other biomaterials. She liked the idea and said yes straight away. The fictional story for the film is based on the idea of having the need to rediscover how to be sustainable again as our only option to live on this planet.
The Simile
The complexity of the human body and its processes is compared to that of nature. The line is drawn to grab attention to the unique capabilities overlooked and underused. What were the most critical visual elements that the team decided should be must-haves in the shooting board to convey this topic?
I worked in the visual language of the film with the talented Spanish cinematographer Jorge Rico. We both wanted to focus on the textures of the elements in the shot: the sweat, the biomaterial samples, the skin, the sand, the desert, the heat and use them to create a delicate piece with strong visuals. We didn’t have the time to do a proper location recce, and even though there were some shots we wanted to get, we were very open to improvisation. I think we both had a very similar vision of how we wanted the film to look from the beginning, so the process was very easy.
‘I was looking for a vast landscape of cliffs, narrow gorges, and Mars-like sand, a place that seemed futuristic but also had the reminiscence of early life.’
The Location
The desert in the film has a feel of a futuristic environment due to the presentation of the alchemist concept and work. The symbiosis is of looking to the future and our capabilities: the emerging technologies aligned with the past, the initial state of the earth. Where did you shoot the film, and why did you choose this location?
The film was shot between two nature reserves in the North of Spain. I was looking for a vast landscape of cliffs, narrow gorges, and Mars-like sand, a place that seemed futuristic but also had the reminiscence of early life. These two places were what I was looking for exactly. It was a challenge to shoot in a Spanish desert in August when the heat was suffocating. It definitely helped to get the look of a sweltering place where the characters living there crystallize their own sweat, haha.
The Upcoming Projects
What are some of the upcoming projects you’ll be working on?
Most of my previous work is still photography, which I love, but I am currently focusing on learning and getting more into cinematography. I think that Nostos Erda pushed that interest, thinking about all on-screen visual elements, lighting, framing, camera motion, angles, film selection, lens choices, color… Lots to learn still.
Nostos Erda will be screened at Victoria House Basement in July in London, which is very exciting. After a long year of consuming content through computer and mobile device screens, it will be amazing to watch the film projected in a physical venue.
