ART
Pata Pata (2018)
A video piece created about the key movements of Pantsula dance. Over a five year period I documented many different Pantsula dance crews from all over Johannesburg and in order to understand its form and history I captured a series of different fundamental movements, these movements where then converted into frames from the video and printed as large scale prints, the original footage was then made into this video piece. The video was premiered at The Fowler museum at UCLA where the entire series was curated into an exhibition about Pantsula dance, the journey was through the images I had captured.
Directed by. Chris Saunders
Cinematographer. Chris Saunders
Editor & Sound Design. Malcolm Che'
NOT X CHRIS SAUNDERS (2014)
NOT x Chris Saunders is a 2014 cross- cultural collaborative project between New York based fashion designer Jenny Lai, Johannesburg based photographer Chris Saunders, and five local creatives from Cape Town, Johannesburg, and their neighboring townships.
NOT x Chris Saunders seeks to explore, expand, and celebrate the burgeoning South African fashion scene through moving images, photography, and a series of collaborative garment creations.
The project consists of four separate collaborations:
Jenny Lai worked with accessories designer Dennis Chuene, vintage clothier Dr. Pachanga, menswear designer Floyd Avenue, and costumer/puppetmaker Macdonald Mfolo. After Jenny researched, interviewed, and otherwise immersed herself completely in the working style and process of each collaborator, each pair reinterpreted an existing design from Lai's brand using a uniquely South African process and material. The final works were brought to life by performing artist Manthe Ribane under the direction and lens of Chris Saunders.
Directed by. Chris Saunders
Cinematographer. Chris Saunders & Justin McGee
Editor. Ross Maxwell
A collaborative video artwork between painter Carla Busuttil, Gary Charles and myself. The video was launched as part of Carla's solo exhibition at The Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg and later again shown as part of her solo show in London at Josh Lilly Gallery.
Mosquito Lightning is a fictitious private security company. The corporate identity is
generated by appropriating that which can be found in use by active real world private
security firms. The visual language is at once familiar, and exaggerated. The project
incorporates a number of mediums, spanning both the digital and real worlds: Video,
performance, fabricated uniforms, website, social media, as well as a designed security
control centre with sentry shed and boom. Mosquito Lightning acts as a platform for an
alternative imagining of a particular and familiar social / commercial space - that of the
private security company. The work explores the impact of self-imposed safety measures
on individuals, communities and broader society. These impacts may be psychological as
well as physical – one might even ask whether these entities should exist at all (a notion
popularised recently by Russell Brand). The project could be read as an imitation, a
commentary or parody - the private security company is identified as a device for generating
and maintaining socio-economic divisions.
You can see more of the project on its dedicated website, a fake website for the security company itself at www.mosquitolightning.com
Cinematography & editing by Ross Maxwell
THE VANITY OF HATRED (2011)
A short film about racism, questioning the modern racist in South Africa from both sides.
Written & Directed by Murray Turpin & Chris Saunders
Director of Photography Chris Saunders
Edited by Mathew Stonier
Sound Design Tim Apter
Warobe & Location Bee Diamondhead
Subject A. Jade van Sandton
Subject B. Robert Machiri
Special Thanks kudzanai Chiurai
A TEAM UNCOOL production.
THE SMARTEEZ (2010)
During my residency at Fabrica, Benetton's Creative Research Facility in Treviso, Italy, I was commissioned by the Benetton brand to create content for giant TV screens in their store windows. One of the projects I worked on was doing portrait video's of The Smarteez fashion collective in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Direction, Editing & Production by Chris Saunders