Synopsis
In this case, faces are the theme, blending identity. The same theme marks THE SENSITIVE PLATE by Kees Hin, a silent film. Rightly so, since the language of the faces can be heard all the better. Kees Hin's work often has a conceptual side to it. He is close to writers, visual artists and musicians, his interest extends much further than that of the regular film buff. He has produced a lot of work about the creative process, the moment when 'nothing' suddenly turns into 'something'. He once talked about cutting a white cabbage in two, how he filmed it: the moment that the inside of the cabbage sees the light, the second before it starts turning colour. A secret of the obvious that is also in THE SENSITIVE PLATE. Thousands of glass negatives, the remnant of the collection of portrait studio Merckelbach in Amsterdam which was found in an attic, with faces from the thirties, forties and fifties. History pervading this multitudinous readymade.
Johan van der Keuken