The Battle From Outer Space - Billy Sassi
'The Battle From Outer Space' seeks to explore notions of amateurism and their aesthetics; how that interacts with politics of taste and how this may be used to engage with ideas of masculinity.
Screening Room Programme
Online
26 July 2021 - 14 August 2021
Selected by: Katerina Matheson
Billy Sassi engages with amateurism and politics of taste by shooting on a smartphone; involving friends and non-actors as performers; and using cardboard and paper mache to build props, sets and costumes.
He talks about his film as being a product of a dual experience of lockdown and the current pandemic – both in terms of the imposed constraints on mental and practical capacities, but also the warped possibilities provided by the expanse of time. The discomfort of facing the uncertainty of ‘purpose’ in a space of alienation is reflected directly into Billy’s film, where his characters are engaged in a mundane interaction in an alien environment. Humour is a key component in communicating these two apparent dissonant planes – of everyday familiarity, and the complete unknown.
"For me the homemade speaks of aspiration; it engages with our need for identification with, and distance from, the ideal. I locate my work in this space of aspiration, between intention and outcome, which gives opportunity for the creation of something changed and new."
- Billy Sassi
Billy holds a BA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins, London. His work has previously been featured at Deptford Cinema, LCC studio, The Horse Hospital, and The Rag Factory.