The Art cinema in Rijeka hosted the presentation of the new volume by the photographer, adventurer and travel writer Davor Rostuhar entitled “Lovci sakupljači” (Hunters Collectors) the other evening in front of a packed audience. Ninth paper masterpiece by an artist who every time pushes himself to the extreme of the imaginable or, at least, his own limits or those of any other writer, in Croatia. Curious man of the world capable of always being at the forefront of styles, ideas and accessories. A cultured person who observes, reflects and manages to draw interesting conclusions capable of enchanting those who read or listen to him, like us yesterday.
A continuous change
During his academic years he chose to study history and sociology (later abandoning them to dedicate himself to making photography and writing in a travel context his daily bread). In what he says, all the interest in the places and cultures with which he comes into contact emerges. We can understand the sociological point, because he is able to explain what he observes by considering every phenomenon as the result of various influences and external factors. Nothing is definitive, but everything is constantly changing. And he is capable of grasping. And this time too, after the photographic project of “Croatia from above” (when drones were not yet toys accessible to anyone), the ski walk from Antarctica to the South Pole, the interviews around the planet in search of multiple versions of love, all things that seem possible only because he has always been capable of going beyond the limits of the possible, he has succeeded in his aim. He made a documentary, however, giving it a note of uniqueness by filming it in VR technology and thus making it the first VR film in the history of Croatian cinema.
Virtual reality
“During the ‘Croatia from above’ project I came into contact with VR (virtual reality) for the first time. Over the years I have followed its evolution by taking trips to Milan and Amsterdam. At the beginning there was a trend to film in VR almost exclusively by positioning the camera on moving objects or surfaces. The result was that those who watched felt nauseated. In recent years, however, this has changed and the most established VR directors now teach that it is much better to film in 360 degrees, from a static position. The camera and all the equipment with which I filmed during my 3 weeks in Tanzania, which I also got just before leaving, I called Marvin and I always need to take time to position it well fixed taking into consideration to choose the scene was good,” he explained.
But the problem was that Rostuhar followed members of the Hadza tribe, one of the few remaining to choose a lifestyle dedicated to hunting and gathering fruits, herbs and berries for food. “Once they spotted their prey, they disconnected from reality and, as if hypnotized, set out to attack! At that moment I had to be quick not to lose them. But it was a constant running after him! When you’re hungry, you don’t wait for anyone,” he recalled, arousing laughter from those present.
But in the end the result seems to be satisfactory. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to make a 30-minute documentary.
An 18 minute documentary
So Rostuhar didn’t just come to present the book but brought with him a VR documentary and an entire traveling cinema, placed on the Corso to surprise passers-by. This is precisely the style that distinguishes it. This is precisely that something more than the others.
Returning to the presentation: to better explain the situation that saw him coexist for weeks with members of one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes in the world (who still live today as humans have lived for 99 percent of the time of their evolution, in a primordial way in very close contact with nature) the first thing proposed to the public was an 18 minute mini-documentary. In this way everyone was able to see the scenes, hear the sounds and songs, getting an idea of the context by listening to the observations and reflections immortalized by the camera. And then his stories, the anecdotes of those days, the teaching that this (like every journey he takes) gave him.
A life in symbiosis with nature
The Hadza are a tribe aware of the “developed” civilization that surrounds it but which rejects almost all its benefits. They are people who live in the eternal present free from any need for possession. They don’t even seem to be able to plan their next meal, but they never go hungry. They take the bare necessities from nature and often live in close collaboration with certain groups of animals. There is the example of birds greedy for honey but capable of finding it and, fearful of bees, call humans for help. The latter cause smoke, repel the bees and take the honey and give it to the birds. The Hadza are an egalitarian community: men and women have the same importance in the scale of hierarchies, which is incomprehensible due to the patriarchal way of seeing the world that has followed over the centuries.
And so, a multitude of pearls continued for an entire hour of speech by the author who entertained and intrigued the audience present. At the end, a dozen questions and a grand closing culminating in applause that absolutely could not be missed. Davor, chapeau!
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