Slamdance 2022 Film Festival – Winter Insect, Summer Flower is a collaborative, experimental effort between artists Tee Jaehyung Park and Gbenga Komolafe – first conceptualized as a visual project for an artists’ collective. The concept, introduced to us with stunning visuals and no dialogue, is a deconstruction of the “body is a temple” platitude – and a reflection on life, death, and rebirth.

Springtime: a woman is birthed from the earth and follows a moth into the light. In Summer, the woman meets a lover, but their romance is short lived. As Fall approaches, the woman faces her fears. Winter brings grief and a removal of the old losses. Spring again, the woman once again goes back to the earth, and the cycle begins again.

An interesting addendum to this already beautiful story is that director Tee Jaehyung Park is trans, and Winter Insect, Summer Flower rages against the typical, “A to B” story of transformation – while so many people think of the caterpillar becoming a butterfly, the reality is human life is a lot more complex — and a lot more cyclical. Our ever evolving relationship with our body, our sexuality, our gender, our planet… all of these connections have their moment.

Another fact that struck me about this film is that it was designed initially to play on a loop on a gallery wall – which I think would be the ideal home for this immersive experience – in fact, the more immersive and interactive the better. The set is a rich, elaborate, gorgeous character of its own – playing its own lively piece in the tale. In my perfect world the set would spill out into a gallery space – making us part of the world, too.

A beautiful art piece in the confines of a short film, Winter Insect, Summer Flower is not to be missed.

9 Out of 10