The video above is a short trailer. The full video “Song of the Open Road” is 8:38 long and is shown in screenings and exhibitions, or upon request.
Song of the Open Road is inspired by Walt Whitman’s poem of the same title. A winged figure – the artist herself – walks across a tiny planet, while text fragments of Whitman’s verses appear on the ground and drift through the sky.
From charcoal drawings emerge gradual transformations: lines begin to move, condense into planets, dissolve again into faces, hybrid beings, and spirals of interconnected figures. Through the interplay of 2D and 3D digital techniques and 360° video, a continuous metamorphosis unfolds, reflecting both the human longing for freedom and the experience of limitation.
These ongoing transformations mirror the condition of our time: threats and crises that break into seemingly secure horizons, but also unexpected moments of beauty, hope, and solidarity. The sky appears not only as a space of vastness and transcendence but also as a projection surface for our fears, desires, and the human need for connection. In this way, a vision of solidarity and togetherness emerges – a shared journey along the open road of life.
title: Song of the Open Road
technique: Experimental video, 360° video, charcoal animation, digital animation 2D and 3D
length: 8’38”
year: 2025
poetry: Excerpts from “Song of the Open Road” by Walt Whitman (slightly adapted)
music: “Beyond Time and Space – 1. The Outer Self (Star Child)” by Michael J. Stewart
concept, camera, cast, drawing, animation, effects: Maria Korporal
© Maria Korporal 2025
Exhibitions and presentations:
• November 7-28, 2025: Skromność (Humility), Galeria Sztuki Rozruch / Jeżyckie Centrum Kultury, Poznań, Poland.
• October 14-15, 2025: Polygon Picknick | Screening der Medienwerkstatt 2025, Medienlabor / formerly Kesselhaus of the Medienwerkstatt, Berlin.
