Cinco Retratos, número 2 (Five Portraits, number 2) is the second of a series of five black and white films made by Gabriela Alcofra and Billy Cowie completed in 2023. The five films investigate the possibility of shared territory between fine art portraiture, early film and dance. Each of the portraits uses a single projected photograph superimposed on the face of Gabriela, magically transforming her into five distinct characters. Her micro-choreographed facial movements produce a variety of effects as the projected and real features move in and out of sync with each other. When aligned the composite images appear almost normal but when misaligned take on extreme distortions reminiscent of Francis Bacon portraits and Cubist imagery. The works explore ideas of feminine beauty, emotional expression through facial movement, and the concept of perception flipping (where the brain jumps back and forth between two interpretations of an image as happens often in optical illusions). The complete series was premiered at Kronenboden gallery in Berlin in January 2024.
- #Title: Cinco Retratos, número 2
- #Director: Gabriela Alcofra, Billy Cowie
- #Choreography: Gabriela Alcofra, Billy Cowie
- #Country of Production: UK
- #Year of Production: 2023
- #Duration: 00:03:30
- #Dance and Acting: Gabriela Alcofra
- #Music: Billy Cowie
- #Webpage: www.billycowie.com
- #Trailer: