“Connections can be found and made between any two poles, it is on you to fill them with meaning. In such an act a room can become a world and ideas become reality. Feel free to let your imagination soar to isolated places and close encounters”
As an esteemed global (I know!) media outlet, there are two things we love, it’s last minute admin and Severin Van Deer Meer. Oh, and Aperol Spritz. We adore Aperol Spritz. So when Arc’teryx kindly invited us to the premiere and exhibition of Every Island has a name in Milan, the day before the screening, at very much the ground zero of Aperol Spritz, Milan – we dutifully accepted and to Italy we went.
Our love affair with Sevi started in Laax a few years back. Joining us on the mountain for the Art Show, Tidal. “This is man with style, a cool cucumber, a certain je ne sais quoi” I remember thinking to myself as Sevi paraponted down the mountain into a swiss spring sunset after joining us for a beer at the peak. Since then, Sevi and his infectious grin have crossed our paths and hearts numerous times, from nightclubs in his home of Zurich to the WT homelands of Hossegor and Biarritz – where Sevi spends, it seems, the majority of his time when not in the mountains. The man also has a drink named after him, at the infamous rider’s lobby bar – the Sevi Spritz. Say less I hear you say. We were destined to become the best of friends.
Every Island Has a Name has been on our radar for a hot minute. Intermittent WhatsApp’s from the crew, teasing’s of photos from Silvano. Whisperings of “We’re in Alaska”. With such a dream creative team behind it and with Arc’teryx’s rich and steeped history in films, excited was an understatement to see the fruits of Willem’s, Achille’s and Silvano’s labour.
“Intimacy is not exclusive to human interaction, ask anyone devoted to their craft. Sometimes the material itself reveal how it should be approached”
But first, oh Milano! Gritty, fashion, kind of always has this weird fog, diffused light and 7€ Spritz. Milano is flawed and perfect at the same time and we love it so. Night one of our two night ‘soggiorno’ in Italy’s second city saw us attend an evening of sold out film screenings as part of Arc’teryx’s winter film tour including a supremely touching film about a skier with down syndrome called ‘Tim’ which if you have the opportunity we would urge you to watch. Every Island Has a Name hit the big screen last, and we weren’t disappointed. A little over 20 minutes of sheer magic, world class sound design and visuals with the closing sequence to end all closing sequences in Alaska, but for more details you’ll have to wait for the main release, or jump onto one of the remaining Arc’teryx film tour stops which is a train we would highly recommend riding.
And so, the main event. And enter the amazing space of Spazio Maiocchi. A multifunctional space that lends itself perfectly to the evening ahead. With a queue out the door, and a competitive rush for Bierra Morettis, the concept of the three rooms of the film was laid out in physical form for the sold out event. Dissolving the boundaries between art forms, a truly original and immersive experience between video, photography art and soundscapes awaited.
“We begin in the first room where wind with its trajectories and updrafts is the primary element driving the movement”
Starting out with a photography exhibition of Silvano Zeiter, with a stunning wall lay out of key action and BTS of the project. A humanoid voice guides us through the various rooms and exhibitions. We then lay eyes on Oliviero Fiorenzi’s kite creation, a key theme of the film at the intersection of freedom and control, matched to a live string – violin and double bass performance. From there, an incredible percussion solo is paired with Azuma Makoto’s glacial sculptures, reminding us that all is in fact temporary, including our hangovers from the night before that have now firmly receded as we marvel at this multi sensory approach, a beautiful marriage between art disciplines in their purest form and snowboarding. Finally, the stationary nature of Mattio Bosco’s rock sculpture, juxtaposed against an improvised synthesiser, xylophone and guitar performance that had the crowd into a mediative state – lines blurred between viewer and participant.
All in all, we’ve been blown away figuratively, physically and spritzily by our time in Milan and this stop of the Every Island Has a Name tour of dreams. If this is the future of cross cultural plays between art, music and snowboarding – then sign us up, we’re here for it. Bravo!
Stay tuned for more of our endeavours with Every Island Has A Name, with premieres in LA and Paris in our calendar, an online release as well as a full print editorial in our upcoming Vol XV – and more Arc’teryx happenings into 2025, it’s shaping up to be quite something.
For more information, on the winter film tour and more Arc happenings – we’d strongly advise you to visit events.arcteryx.com/film-tour/en
“I don’t want to interrupt your train of thought, but we are approaching the end of our tour. I hope I was able to help in adjusting your view on some things”
