This is a short trailer. The full video is 7:21 minutes long and is shown in festivals or upon request.
A winged figure—myself—walks the narrow path beneath a vast, dark sky. The ever-watchful Eye of God looms above, while surreal, hand-drawn animations emerge and evolve in the cosmic expanse. This autobiographical video work blends real footage with animated sequences, revisiting the lasting imprint of my Calvinist upbringing. A little girl—my younger self—hops beside me, singing solemn psalms recorded by my grandfather when I was just two years old. As she sings, the handwritten words of the psalm appear above her head—only to morph into shifting symbols of faith, labor, and existential reflection. The rigid commands of Mens, werk! (Human, work!) dissolve into Denk! (Think!), unraveling into a fluid, ever-transforming universe.
As the path bends into a distorted world, a deer appears, longing for God, just as Psalm 42 dictates. Yet the cycle remains unbroken: I walk on, the child sings, the Eye watches. Qalvinist Qosmos is not a return to faith but a meditation on its echoes—a digital-analog exploration of doctrine, control, and the subconscious imprints of early religious conditioning.
The title’s distinctive “Q” spelling connects this work to my Qorporal Quests series, in which I critically examine the global digital evolution in times of war and climate change by combining analog and digital techniques, encouraging reflection along the way.
The video is also available in an immersive 360° VR version, to watch with a headset.
Please contact me for more information or a preview.
“Qalvinist Qosmos. As the Deer Pants”, is actually shown from January 23 to March 8, 2025, as part of my AR-VR installation Qalvinist Qosmos at the exhibition MeeresStern at the INSELGALERIE Berlin.
title: Qalvinist Qosmos. As the Deer Pants
technique: Experimental video, 360° reframed, digital and analogue animation
length: 7’21”
year: 2025
sound recordings: Recordings of the artist as a 2-year-old girl, singing Psalms 81:1 and 42:1, by the artist’s grandfather, digitized by the artist’s brother, Jurgen Korporaal
background sound: Solfeggio-417-518-Peace.mp3 by the_very_Real_Horst, freesound.org/s/206001 – License: Attribution 4.0
other sounds, project concept and all artwork: Maria Korporal
© Maria Korporal 2025
Exhibitions and presentations:
• January 23 – March 8, 2025: MeeresStern, INSELGALERIE Berlin.
