A surreal story about sensation

I am thrilled that Laure Prouvost has been honoured for Wantee, her wonderful, intelligent and formally delicate immersive video installation about her fictional grandparents.

She is a deserving winner, combining humour with a sharp vision. The viewer sits amidst tattily bohemian furniture and absorbs a film that is both happily fragmented and coherent.

Prouvost narrates a story of her grandfather’s escape through a tunnel in the floor of his cottage, but the film is really about sensation. Shots that should be clichéd – such as Prouvost holding a brush full of white paint into a stream – are pure visual pleasure.