Still from WASTEDLAND 2. Written & Directed by Andrew H. Shirley.
Wastedland 2, Andrew H. Shirley
In a post apocalyptic land, the last few remaining inhabitants are the spirit animals of graffiti writers. Three solitary vandals (Wolftits, Avoid, and Smells) cross paths while on the hunt for the meaning behind the abandoned enigmatic artwork by UFO (another nomadic artist). Roaming from one decaying zone to the next in a never ending search for beer, weed, and a wall to paint, these artists form a pact with the rest of the desperate survivors (played by Rambo, Noxer, EKG, and others). Watch the Wastedland 2 trailer: HERE As with the original Wastedland (10 min/ B&W/ 2008), for Wastedland 2 Shirley asked several prominent graffiti artists to create costumes and masks in the likeness of what they believe to be their spirit animals. Then, using the same landscape the artists typically employ as a backdrop for their artwork, they traveled from the mountains of Upstate New York to Black Mountain, North Carolina, filming in squalid buildings and freight train yards along the way, illegally. The mystical theme of the seeker was incorporated into the process of production, letting the film write itself from narrative exploration and unscripted improvisation. It was not until the film had been edited that the script finally finished itself. Andrew H. Shirley finds an obsession in living experimentation. Shirley is a multi disciplinary artist whose work has appeared in PS 1, MOCA, Museum of Sex, McDonald's International, and whose films have screened at festivals in over 300 cities worldwide. As a social architect, he has curated the underground into public events from institutions such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music to a secret treehouse art gallery he built in upstate NY. He resides in Brooklyn, NYC, with his cat Myrtle. The film exists as a centerpiece to a to-be-realized group show of collected artifacts from the production (costume scraps and UFO's actual sculptures), alongside new artwork inspired by the film. The artworks will be installed in a site specific, interactive/kinetic carousel from which riders can view the film. Some elements of the carousel include: Darkclclouds themed mobile of iron metal clouds; life-sized, contour wrought-iron sculptures of the film characters by Wolftits; glass framed scrolls with words of Wastedland prayers written by urban billboard poet Rambo; found object homeless structures by Adam Void; and paintings by Noxer and EKG. The musicians who scored the film will be on site for opening night to play -acts such as Unstoppable Death Machines, Howardian, Fake Hooker, Mr. Andersonic, Pat Noecker, and more. After a tour of North America, the film has been dubbed in Japanese, Spanish, German, and French - and has hopes of a global tour in 2017.
