NIKOLAJ BENDIX SKYUM LARSEN

Commissioned by FVU: Film and Video Umbrella for the exhibition 'Estuary' at Museum of London Docklands Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen's 'Portrait of a River' is an evocative study of the sometimes overlooked, strangely indeterminate landscape through which the Thames cuts its sluggish widening course on its journey out to sea. The film's 29 segments carry both a powerful emotional weight and a disarmingly lyrical compositional finesse. Whether shining a light on some of the longstanding trades that ply its currents, or uncovering the fluctuating histories of the disparate communities that line its edge, Larsen’s film renders the Thames as a living, breathing river, whose mouth is both outlet and expression of its beating heart.
Text by Steven Bode

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Portrait of a River was commissioned by Museum of London in collaboration with the Film and Video Umbrella. The film was produced by Film and Video Umbrella.