People say it's fireworks

Tim Bowditch, Matthew de Kersaint Giraudeau and Sybella Perry

Awestruck from witnessing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius whilst on a Grand Tour of Italy in the 18th Century, a german Duke constructed the world's first artificial volcano on his estate in the small town of Wörlitz. At a point in history that was pre-cinema, the fake volcano was the closest way to represent his experience to others and stood as a symbol of his allegiance to the ideals of the Enlightenment movement.

Since 2010, the Vesuvius of Wörlitz has once again become active, due to the careful work of a team led by a Professor of Pyrotechnics. 'People say it's fireworks', documents the day's events leading up to a recent eruption, paired with small-scale visual effects made by the artists, working together in the studio with coloured lights, smoke and water. The film tells the story of this unique monument, the trials of reproducing a representation and the fleeting moments in collaborative practice, when everything comes together and in a flash, appears intelligible.

People say it's fireworks was screened as part of Film London Artists' Moving Image Network "Selected" touring program in 2018 and Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2017.