Farah Rahman - I can see
4:45, 2014Music Video directed by Farah Rahman - Fariatie.nl for Objektivity NYC. Music produced by Jazzanova feat. Ben Westbeech - I Can See (Konstantin Sibold Remix). All archive footage taken from the Public Domain.
DirectorFarah RahmanProducerOlena Skalenko, Objektivity NycEditorFarah RahmanCrewMusic Video directed by Farah Rahman - Fariatie.nl for Objektivity NYC. Music produced by Jazzanova feat. Ben Westbeech - I Can See (Konstantin Sibold Remix). All archive footage taken from the Public Domain.
CountryNetherlandsEdition2014 GreenBudgetProfessional production
< overview
Your film is about?
Space stations are alerted by the discovery of a mysterious All Seeing Eye. It’s s approaching in high velocity. For this video i cut-up old science fiction movies and edited them into a new narrative. I think it’s interesting that the context of the old science fiction films changes this way because edited it. During the production of this music video i was also working intensively on the Eurovisions audiovisual performance where we use the same remix cut-up approach and visualize the European border as a machine. We show high tech surveillance security, infra red camera’s, body, fingerprint and iris scanners. Check it out at http://youtu.be/tkpfCY917PA?t=48m35s
Even our Eurovisions logo has the shape of an eye! Both projects influenced eachother and are heavily influenced by Orwell, the eye image is a visual reference of that fitting with the title of the music track ’I Can See’.
How did you start with film? And do you have an educational background in art or film?
I studied BA Audiovisual Design at The Willem The Kooning Art Academy in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Could you explain how you work, what themes or concepts you use and what is important to you?
The past years i worked primarily with associative re-assembling of found footage and found objects. This research started with an investigative experimental documentary questioning why people save objects. It’s a question i still like to bring up in a conversation because almost everybody has their own story to tell about a personal artifact. From that point researching and collecting materials from private/public domain archives, digging at flea markets etc became a fascination. Intrigued by other people’s archived memory’s i remix my own film footage, handmade animations and found footage into new narratives. This gives room for other interpretations or new meaning of the material. My works are often related to the Eastern filosophy Wabi Sabi, which loosely translated means: Seeing beauty in imperfection.
Do you carefully plan the production process or do you work more intuitive?
Found footage film making has different approaches. The production process is done carefully, dividing materials in folders and naming sections during editing. Before is the search and gather of materials. A big part of the process which i enjoy very much, ’happy childlike excitement’ finding interesting footage presents. Sometimes i try to follow the stream of images and a narrative comes up naturally. Most of the time the idea is already in my head.
Where do you get your ideas or inspiration from?
During my artist in residency at ZEMOS98 in Seville and MODE Istanbul i was inspired by Toni Serra and Grey Filastine’s workshops. During the European Souvenirs production process and during my artist residency at The Light Surgeons studio in Londen i learned more about live cinema performance, editing techniques and the basics of vj software VDMX.
How important is sound in film, and if you use sounds, do you create your own or use existing?
I’m always open for new collaborations with music/sound/visual artists, music festivals, gallery’s, curator’s. I believe interaction between different disciplines is very important for the reinforcement of my work.
What is your next project about?
Http://www.europeansouvenirs.eu/about/
European Souvenirs artists Farah Rahman, Karol Rakowski, Noriko Okaku and Malaventura were back in Amsterdam on Tuesday, 20 May with a brand new show called €urovisions. Hosted at the EYE Film Institute in Amsterdam, the four artists performed the live show in front of a packed audience. Combining a mixture of music, animation, video art, dramaturgy, photography and film through the immediacy of live performance, €urovisions offers a challenging and multifaceted look at the contemporary story of immigration and Europe. The unique performance encourages the audience to reflect on the evolving role of the media and our interaction with representations of immigration and European identity.
< overview
< Artists interviews
CountryNetherlandsEdition2014 GreenBudgetProfessional production
< overview
Interview
Space stations are alerted by the discovery of a mysterious All Seeing Eye. It’s s approaching in high velocity. For this video i cut-up old science fiction movies and edited them into a new narrative. I think it’s interesting that the context of the old science fiction films changes this way because edited it. During the production of this music video i was also working intensively on the Eurovisions audiovisual performance where we use the same remix cut-up approach and visualize the European border as a machine. We show high tech surveillance security, infra red camera’s, body, fingerprint and iris scanners. Check it out at http://youtu.be/tkpfCY917PA?t=48m35s
Even our Eurovisions logo has the shape of an eye! Both projects influenced eachother and are heavily influenced by Orwell, the eye image is a visual reference of that fitting with the title of the music track ’I Can See’.
How did you start with film? And do you have an educational background in art or film?
I studied BA Audiovisual Design at The Willem The Kooning Art Academy in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Could you explain how you work, what themes or concepts you use and what is important to you?
The past years i worked primarily with associative re-assembling of found footage and found objects. This research started with an investigative experimental documentary questioning why people save objects. It’s a question i still like to bring up in a conversation because almost everybody has their own story to tell about a personal artifact. From that point researching and collecting materials from private/public domain archives, digging at flea markets etc became a fascination. Intrigued by other people’s archived memory’s i remix my own film footage, handmade animations and found footage into new narratives. This gives room for other interpretations or new meaning of the material. My works are often related to the Eastern filosophy Wabi Sabi, which loosely translated means: Seeing beauty in imperfection.
Do you carefully plan the production process or do you work more intuitive?
Found footage film making has different approaches. The production process is done carefully, dividing materials in folders and naming sections during editing. Before is the search and gather of materials. A big part of the process which i enjoy very much, ’happy childlike excitement’ finding interesting footage presents. Sometimes i try to follow the stream of images and a narrative comes up naturally. Most of the time the idea is already in my head.
Where do you get your ideas or inspiration from?
During my artist in residency at ZEMOS98 in Seville and MODE Istanbul i was inspired by Toni Serra and Grey Filastine’s workshops. During the European Souvenirs production process and during my artist residency at The Light Surgeons studio in Londen i learned more about live cinema performance, editing techniques and the basics of vj software VDMX.
How important is sound in film, and if you use sounds, do you create your own or use existing?
I’m always open for new collaborations with music/sound/visual artists, music festivals, gallery’s, curator’s. I believe interaction between different disciplines is very important for the reinforcement of my work.
What is your next project about?
Http://www.europeansouvenirs.eu/about/
European Souvenirs artists Farah Rahman, Karol Rakowski, Noriko Okaku and Malaventura were back in Amsterdam on Tuesday, 20 May with a brand new show called €urovisions. Hosted at the EYE Film Institute in Amsterdam, the four artists performed the live show in front of a packed audience. Combining a mixture of music, animation, video art, dramaturgy, photography and film through the immediacy of live performance, €urovisions offers a challenging and multifaceted look at the contemporary story of immigration and Europe. The unique performance encourages the audience to reflect on the evolving role of the media and our interaction with representations of immigration and European identity.
< overview
