Somnambulism
[som-nam-byuh-liz-uh-m]
Noun: A condition that is characterised by walking while asleep or in a hypnotic trance.
‘Somnambulists’ is a six part film series that follows the actions of RETRO & MAIDE on their recent winter adventure around Italy. The series takes a fresh approach to filming, editing and track selection which results in high-end filming gear, drone footage, slow cuts, and bleeding edge bass music taking you on a journey so intimate you’ll feel like you’re sitting on the tracks eating spaghetti bolognese.
In this episode, RETRO and MAIDE hit up the northern Italian city of Genoa on New Years Eve and watched some security guards instead of fireworks.
“It was New Years Eve and we arrived in Genoa in the late afternoon. After getting our bags into the hotel room, we rummaged through all the paint to sort out a few kits to take with us. Once that had been sorted we walked down to the yard just to have a quick look at what we were working with.
We had some information about the spot but not the fine details. So we decided to split up. Maide watching security at the station, and Tom keeping an eye on the spot from the main road. I decided to squeeze through some broken bars on the window frame and through the broken glass to get in. I knew of a sensor in the yard but wasn’t sure exactly where it was. Well I figured that out quickly when the alarm started blaring on the roof only a couple of metres away from me. I jumped back through the window, ran across the road and watched to see how long until security would come. Thirty minutes later they eventually walked from the station, through the tunnel and in to the yard.
We were about to head back to the hotel when I noticed five writers heading to the same spot, so I ran over and had a chat with them. They told me they had already done the spot the night before and were just about to do it again. So Maide and I ran back to the hotel, got our paint and went straight back. One of the guys squeezed through the window, walked through the yard in a different direction and opened up the door and we all hudled inside. Once we were in, we could see there was not a lot of room to paint on all the trains. So we had to all split up and paint small areas in different spots. I mentioned to the Spanish writers not to go on the opposite side of the train as I knew there was a sensor with an alarm.
About five minutes in, one of the guys that didn’t understand English too well, walked straight through the sensor. With the alarm blarring we all bailed out through the door. We ran across the road and watched from a distance as the security turned up. Being New Years Eve and close to midnight, we decided to get something to eat while everyone started letting off their fireworks.
To give the spot some time to chill, the eight of us crammed into the writers car with all the paint and headed to their hostel to chill. We hung out there for about an hour then walked back out to the car to find it had been towed, including all the kits of paint! After an hour of trying to figure out where the car was and then finding out it wasn’t possible to get the car back till the 2nd of January. We needed to head back to our hotel with everyone and grab more paint to finish the seven panels before morning.
We ended up finishing them all off before sunrise of the New Year; then ended up venturing back to the yard after lunch with Tom to do a cheeky crew panel next to the sensor before the drive down the Italian coast.” -RETRO.
Shot: @tommyrolfe
Follow the artists:
Retro (@blogthief)
Maide (@liquidpastels)
Special thanks to @fairlyordinary.co
Missed the other episodes?
Watch part 1 here: ironlak.com/2017/08/somnambulists-part-1-midnight-milan/
Watch part 2 here: https://www.ironlak.com/2017/08/somnambulists-part-2-rambunctious-rome/
The legal stuff:
This video is featured as part of our editorial commitment to showcasing a diverse range of creative expression. All images were submitted anonymously, and we were not involved in the filming, production, or activities shown. We do not condone or endorse any illegal activities, so don’t try this at home kids. It’s tough out there. Protect your neck.