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    [EFF18S5] Session 5: Mati Manas/Mani Kaul

    Cite as: Temple, Michael and Barrington, Matthew (2023): [EFF18S5] Session 5: Mati Manas/Mani Kaul. Birkbeck College, University of London.

    Description

    24 March 2018, 14:30, ICA Cinema

    Film: Minds of Clay [Mati Manas], Mani Kaul, India, 1984, 35mm, 92 minutes, Hindi with English subtitles

    Soundcloud Link: https://soundcloud.com/user-952189740/essay-film-festival-minds-of-clay-mani-kaul-1984-introduction

    In Minds of Clay, Mani Kaul explores the ancient tradition of terracotta pottery and sculpture, and the several legends associated with it. The film depicts the ancient objects, their social history, as well as the history of the techniques involved, weaving together the telling of tales as told by the potters themselves and fictionalised sequences in which historians talk about the artefacts encased in museum displays. Mani Kaul wished to discover the myths and states of mind out of which the pots were made, and to render a sense of this spirit filmically through his own shaping of the medium of cinema. “I wanted”, he said, “to know the anguish of the potter through my own anguish as a filmmaker.”

    The film was introduced by Valentina Vitali, University of East London

    In collaboration with the Courtisane Festival and the Otolith Group, and with the support of Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities.

    Previews


    1 - EFF18S5 Introduction (EFF18S5 Mani Kaul Minds of Clay introduction Valentina Vitali 24-3-2018.MP3)

    Collection Method

    The Essay Film Festival, active since 2015, presents a global range of contemporary and restored essayistic works. The events are now archived here for research purposes.

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    Metadata

    Dataset Title:

    [EFF18S5] Session 5: Mati Manas/Mani Kaul
    Creators:

    Temple, Michael and Barrington, Matthew
    Dataset Contributors:

    ContributionNameEmailORCID
    CollaboratorMcCabe, Janetj.mccabe@bbk.ac.ukORCID logohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2916-9876
    CollaboratorYapp, Emmaeyapp01@student.bbk.ac.ukORCID logohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2646-6066
    Subjects:

    Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
    Data collection method:

    The Essay Film Festival, active since 2015, presents a global range of contemporary and restored essayistic works. The events are now archived here for research purposes.
    Collection period:

    FromTo
    24 March 201824 March 2018
    Statement on legal, ethical, and access issues:

    All film stills were provided by participating artists.
    Depositing User: Emma Yapp
    Date Deposited: 01 Sep 2026 10:07
    Last Modified: 01 Sep 2026 10:07
    Publisher: Birkbeck College, University of London

    Export / Share Citation

    Cite as: Temple, Michael and Barrington, Matthew (2023): [EFF18S5] Session 5: Mati Manas/Mani Kaul. Birkbeck College, University of London.

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