Marta interview normaville

S: What kind of work are you going to present during your show at the CACofA?

M: I would like to show a work that is now is progress and will be finished by the time of the show. I keep working on short videos and a longer audio piece. So I’d like to show those 2 things. Ideally there will be multiple videos displayed in the space and one audio piece. These are pieces that are more or less notes, there are quite mundane in my view. I am basing mostly on observations and I am trying to make notes, both visual and textual, and I also record my voice. I often walk around with my phone and make recordings, then edit them, maybe write a little bit, re-record it and hopefully it will turn into a longer piece that will be composed of my voice and music.

S: You are talking about sound and image at the same time. Does every single video have its soundtrack? How does it work?

M: For now, I think about having mute videos and one sound piece that could correspond to individual videos but at the same time could be autonomous. The audio piece will be more narrative, with no clear storyline though. This is the way I approach storytelling – through fragmented, yet linked pieces. Some parts of the story might correspond directly to moving images, some more vaguely. I am not entirely sure how to present the audio piece. I will definitely try out different options in the space. It might be either scattered in different corners or audible in a very limited space. But these are decisions I would like to make on the basis of my work in the space. If I decide to use another voice (apart from mine) it might become a sort of a dialogue – then I will present it differently in order to underline its conversational mode. But definitely images and sound are and will stay autonomous.

S: How would you install the videos in the space?

M: For sure, I’d like the images to be IN the space, not on the walls. I’m thinking about building a simple structure for each video. It could be for instance partially unrolled photographic background suspended from the ceiling with the rolled bit sitting on the floor, or a simple metal frame with a paper screen attached to it. I would like to guide the audience through the display of moving images that will be in dialogue.

S: How important is the formal aspect of the “projection structure” for you?

M: It is definitely not just as a tool to screen videos. Sometimes I project images onto objects that also appear in the moving image, or that are in relation to it. Clearly it is absolutely crucial, the “projection structure” provides additional context, it is another layer of meaning, can even decide on the status of the image.

S: How would you deal the light?

M: Since there’re no windows in the space, it is not of a big difficulty. I might use couple of spotlights, but surely the light will be subtle. Also I don’t want the space to be totally dark, I’d like to avoid a theatrical mood. And be able to properly present so-called “projection structures”.

S: How will the viewer navigate in the space? M: I would like to create a kind of order, at least suggest a route. There are multiple links between individual moving images and I’d like to make them clear. I want to take my time and experiment a lot with various configurations of images in the space. Definitely I want to make evident certain relations between videos through their display.

S: Do the videos loop?

M: Yes, they do. So you are free to come and leave whenever you feel like. I also aim to leave quite a lot of room for the viewer’s own imagination. Their movement between pieces is crucial (both physical in the space and the shifting of images, memories, flash-backs). Also, this work is based on subjective mode of perceiving and on describing a close environment that surround me. It is a constant dialogue between the personal and the collective; using my subjectivity and I am attempting to get closer to others subjectivities so I guess the room for the work of their imagination is absolutely crucial.

S: Can you tell us more how this project was initiated, where the footage comes from? Did you know from the beginning the final outcome or is it more of an on-going process? What is your modality of working?

M: It’s organically linked to my live. It was initiated when I moved from one country to the other. I see it as a way of orientating and navigating in a new environment that I didn’t know before, so it’s closely related to my life. And it is an on-going process and investigation. I learn a lot myself. I do not plan too much. It’s more of a intuitive, spontaneous engagement with your closest environment. This is also a sort of a statement. Hence we can have an insight into every single piece of land on Earth and knowledge is so broadly spread (very superficial but still…), I deliberately stick to my habitat, which is in close proximity, accessible, contiguous and tangible. Of course I try to place it in a wider context, for instance via reflecting on notions of detachment & transition. Recently I have been I mostly filming in the harbour areas that I find very suitable (the properties of physical location suit the subject matter in a way)

S: Is your work dependent on your physical location?

M: Yes. And I also give meaning to the images after they are made. So the intention often comes after, I not always film with a particular intention. I tend to manipulate images a lot and produce the meaning.

S: Is the exhibition going to influence the editing process?

M: No, I don’t think so.

S: Do you think the materials might turn into something else after this show?

M: Yes.

S: Do you often re-use stuff that you shot a long time ago? Is there any timeframe?

M: Yes, very often. I have quite a big archive of images from different places and time. Sometimes I search for particular images in memory/ on hard-drives. I spend hours looking into my hard-drives and searching for something that suits here and now. And sometimes I recall certain images so I know what I’m looking for. So my approach to the images is quite flexible, I am not too much attached to images and their context.

S: So your footage is not necessarily linked individual projects?

M: Right now this is the way I work. I also use found footage.

S: Previously you said your work derives from the personal and now you are saying that you could use other people’s footage. Can you say something about it? How important is the fact that it is you, your experience, your voice?

M: I think using my own voice is important because of its tone & accent. I also use two languages – my native language, which is Polish, and English, which has an accent. So by virtue of this fact it must be my voice, it embodies ideas that I work with. In terms of the personal, I don’t really believe in the idea of being original. I believe that the forms and images float in the air and one can grab them and use them, and we can share them.

S: Could the audience relate to them in the same way?

M: I hope so.

MERCI