The Jackleg Testament Part I: Jack & Eve is a one-of-a-kind motion picture derived from the crisply styled woodcuts of Kentucky-born Jay Bolotin (b.1949). The film reinterprets the story of Adam and Eve as a dark, provocative tale in which Eve is lured from the Garden of Eden by a Jack-in-the-Box. Presiding over the story is Nobodaddy, a mischievous, unforgiving creator, named after William Blake’s term for God within the Old Testament.

Bolotin’s world is meticulously and vividly realised, an evocative hybrid of German expressionism, Brueghel and medieval religious imagery. An operatic score and soundtrack, composed by Bolotin, propels the film throughout, featuring the voices of the great English tenor Nigel Robson, Wagnerian bass Monte Jaffe, Karin Bergquist, lead singer of US band Over the Rhine, and Bolotin himself. The script, also written by the artist, is rich in literary echoes, from Shakespeare to Kafka, and often darkly funny.

Jay Bolotin is a prolific artist, writer, composer, performer, set designer, musician and filmmaker. Born in Kentucky, 1949, his woodcuts are represented in collections including Museum of Modern Art, New York, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego and Seattle Art Museum, and he has composed and performed scores for opera, dance productions, films and television.

The Jackleg Testament Part I: Jack & Eve and other works is a John Hansard Gallery exhibition.

Images: From top to bottom, images 1, 2 and 4: Jay Bolotin, stills from The Jackleg Testament Part I, 2005. Image 3: Jay Bolotin, Jack Breaks Free, 2005. Colour woodblock print. All images Courtesy the artist.

Filmed Discussion

JHG Director Stephen Foster in conversation with Jay Bolotin.
Video produced by e-media, University of Southampton.

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