Have you ever been impressed by the concept of a thing, but not so much by the actual thing itself? I’m feeling a little bit of that as I re-watch this watercolor painted ode to Ridley Scott’s 1982 masterpiece Blade Runner. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time, and though I was excited to see someone approaching fan art from a different angle, I found this one a bit… disorienting.
Swedish artist Anders Ramsell painted over 3000 images and sequenced them to re-create the first 12 or so minutes of Blade Runner in what is unquestionably a very unique representation of the film. If nothing else, I have no doubts about his dedication or enthusiasm, as I imagine the project was a ton of work. What I don’t understand, though, is why one would create something so visually devoid of detail – so hazy, and for a movie of all things.
Blade Runner – Aquarelle Edition Part 1
If you managed to sit through the whole 12+ minutes, I applaud you. Your capacity to withstand blurry, hazy, washed out images far exceeds my own. But the question is, why? There must have been a very specific reason for spending so much time on creating a movie that’s barely visible. Was this supposed to somehow expose a deeper existential layer of the film? Was it for shits and giggles? Was it to get people like me scratching our heads over it? I can’t begin to imagine, and perhaps that’s exactly what Anders Ramsell wanted, to get people thinking. Maybe.
Now, if you’re interested in seeing more of his work, you probably won’t have to wait very long. This was only the first 12 minutes of a multi-hour long film, and given the “part 1” of the title, I have a feeling we’re going to see the rest of the film, painfully represented through blurry, waterlogged pieces of paper.
