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Fortuna is a short film that shows the impressive beauty of the semi-wild Camargue horses in the Isola della Cona nature reserve. The film was made during the artist residency „Searth“ at Isola della Cona, where the horses are used as part of a project to restore the natural ecosystem. The film shows the unusual restrained and respectful attitude of the local people and the harmonious relationship between humans and animals in this unique environment..
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3:50 min
2022

One day a seed falls on the planet Hanasu. It lands at Kori’s feet. According to tradition, every piece of flora on the planet is collected immediately, but Kori hesitates. The beautiful perfection of this little piece of nature makes him doubt his traditions and habits.

Hanasu
An animated short film
06:40 min 

A red silhouette in the middle of an indefinable room. Her movements are slow and circular. Although the red colour stands out against the background, the figure hardly seems tangible. Symbols pass by, showing us a demarcated area in which is is moving. An invisible border that keeps the outside world away from her. Unexpectedly, small details appear on her silhouette and the enclosed space seems to dissolve for a moment. But one waits in vain for more. Outlines that would define her and at the same time form the intersection with the outside world are absent and the small details come and go. What remains is the red silhouette, surrounded by an invisible border. But as long as the red silhouette stands out from the background, she is still there. With her dreams, hopes and her history.
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The video combines four different levels. The starting point is the song „Susi“ by singer-songwriter Tini Bot. The dancer Rika Yotsumoto interpreted the song in her performance, while Omani Frei created the drawn animation on top of it. And finally, Nina Behnisch designed 8 animated symbols inspired by the song lyrics. All four layers together create the music video for „Susi“.

Music video
Animation | Editing: Omani Frei
Animation | Symbols: Nina Behnisch
Music: Tini Bot & Band
Dancer: Rika Yotsumoto
05: 53 min
2022

As a small sensation it appears in the beginning, but soon the feeling is permanently present. The feeling to be constantly in search of something and never arriving. The restless search for the unknown destination, which brings you the long awaited inner peace. But how to reach a goal that has no name and eludes any concrete description.
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Signposts from outside seem to be the solution. Easy to read and unambiguous, they appear everywhere in abundance. Not like your own, which are deeply hidden within yourself and often only show themselves in an encrypted form.
You only have to choose the right ones.
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So it seems.

Animation/Installation (2D animation, hand drawn)
Film: Omani Frei
Sound: Omani Frei
Mastering: Jan Kosyk
05:30 min
2020

Everything seems quiet in the small flat. Unspectacularly, the band blends into the scenery. Their movements are languid and slow. They seem preoccupied with themselves and their own perception.
But the idyllic tranquillity is disturbed by a colourful, constantly changing animation that is superimposed on various parts of the interior.
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Music video
Music & Lyric: Andi Valandi & Band
Director of photography & Editing: Omani Frei
Light: Jan Kosyk
03:28 min
2021

Cranes, drawn with clear lines on paper, formed the starting point of this work.
.The focus was on the old Japanese Senbazuru legend and thus the number one thousand. But over time it became clear that each drawing represented its own strong individual. It was no longer about the one thousand drawn cranes as a large group, but about each individual crane. How similar were they? What characteristics did they have? Which groups could be formed?
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I decided to have an algorithm programmed. This compared all the crane drawings with each other and created a first overview of possible similarities and differences. After that, more and more features were added: number of lines, the yellow tone of the paper, wingspan… and the number of enclosed areas, which led to their later name area crane. Slowly, more and more character traits were added. Thus, one crane appeared sluggish during prolonged observation, the next playful.
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Over time, 1000 crane drawings became 1000 individual and precisely determined area cranes.
The collected knowledge will be published in a three-part identification book:
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Volume 1 | Swarm behavior
Volume 2 | Names
Volume 3 | Identification book
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„Lepidoptera“ is the scientific denomination of butterflies. Since antiquity the butterfly serves as a picture of the soul. In Ancient Greek it even bears the same name „ψυχή“. The title of the animation short film by Omani Frei thus suggests an analysis of the soul. And indeed, it begins like an experimental arrangement with a single female figure in the middle of an undefined space without background. […]
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An excerpt from the text „Soul“ by Dr. Alexander Wiehart .
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Animation (hand drawn on paper)
Film: Omani Frei
Sound: Jonas Holfeld
5:18 min
2017

The installation „Blue Velvet“ was created in collaboration with the Düsseldorf based artist Klara Virnich (vocals) as part of an exchange project of the Stiftung Kleine Kunstdialog West/Ost.