In conjunction with the exhibition MIKA ROTTENBERG, the MAC is partnering with the Cinémathèque québécoise to present REMOTE, co-created by Mika Rottenberg and Mahyad Tousi.
Synopsis
REMOTE follows Unoaku (Okwui Okpokwasili) and four other women living in different parts of the world—all of them fans of a popular South Korean dog-groomer-performer (Joony Kim)—who discover a mysterious portal hidden in each of their homes with universe-altering consequences. Co-created by Mika Rottenberg & Mahyad Tousi, REMOTE is set in a post-pandemic near future, exploring what it means to be connected in an age of technology and convenience.
Public projections at the Cinémathèque québécoise:
- Saturday September 24 at 3:00 pm
- Sunday September 25 at 6:30 pm
- Thursday September 29 at 6:30 pm
- Saturday October 1 at 3:00 pm
Location: 355 boul. De Maisonneuve Est, Montréal, QC
Duration: 90 min
Languages: English, South Korean, Persian, Spanish, Croatian, Hindi
Production
REMOTE was produced, cast, and crewed primarily in New York City and in the Hudson Valley during the Spring of 2021. The film was shot on sets built on Mika Rottenberg’s Studio in Tivoli, NY; at Saugerties Performing Arts Factory in Saugerties, NY; and on locations in Kingston, NY and Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
The story grew out of a weekly conversation between friends and collaborators Mika Rottenberg and Mahyad Tousi about how people around the world were physically isolated and yet still able to connect through technology during the onset of the covid pandemic. By late 2020, a script was borne out of those conversations.
Production was commissioned by Artangel, United Kingdom; the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek; and Moderna Museet, Stockholm; in association with Hauser & Wirth. The film was completed with support by MOCA’s Environmental Council, Los Angeles; Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC); X Museum, Beijing; the Busan Biennale; and the Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco.
Resources
Video: A conversation between Mika Rottenberg & Mahyad Tousi, moderated by Lesley Johnstone.
As part of the exhibition Mika Rottenberg, the Musée presented a conversation between Mika Rottenberg and artist and storyteller Mahyad Tousi, at the Canadian Centre for Architecture on May 19.
