WRITINGANDRESEARCH-CLAUDIO

SESSION 1 - WHAT, WHY, HOW

ORIGINAL TEXT

WHAT

Dubai Dispositif is a 50-minute long film essay made from amateur travel footage uploaded on Youtube by ordinary people showing their experience of staying in Dubai. It is divided in seven sections - plus an intro and an outro - and can work both as a single screen film and a multi-channel installation - which I haven’t tested yet though. Every section has a title and is built around certain recurring elements of the original footage. The sections are organised in such an order that builds up a spatial experience throughout the city’s environments. The original footage is reframed by overlay black frames and it is accompanied by a text in the form of subtitles/captions. Dubai Dispositif deals mainly with notions of bodies, space (urban, architecture, environmental), (self-)representation, technology.

HOW

I binge-watched the footage and collected it - first by means of playlisting, then by offline downloading. In the editing software I broke the videos into pieces, hunting and gathering recurring fragments - always different, always identical, which I then re-arranged in compilations - the seven sections of the film. I turned all the footage in black and white, to allow a more abstract, detached viewing, as well as to emphasise its always-different-always-identical nature. I reframed the footage with overlay black frames, intended to re-orientate the viewer’s gaze towards certain features of the images used that I found significant. Every section has its own specific framing. All along the editing process I wrote a text, by additional fragments, that combines essayistic elements, quotes from readings, personal notes. The text is superimposed onto the images to create an additional layer of interpretation and meaning. Finally, I extracted the original sound from the footage and made a drone-like, mostly low-pitched soundscape that complements the images on screen.

WHY

The film speculatively considers Dubai as a hotspot of our times; as a place in which certain tendencies and processes of our times take extreme forms and become therefore paradoxically visible. Dubai as an optical prism through which reality is decomposed and made visible; as a divination crystal ball in which, through its present, a possible future can be foreseen. The main intention of the work is therefore to intercept images coming from a radically different place, to penetrate into them deeply and dissect them, to then recompose them trying to bring to sight and understand how that “other”, faraway place is closely related to “our” present and near future. To generate speculative fiction from fragments of reality, in an exercise of alienation and projection.

EDIT 1

Dubai Dispositif is a 50-minute long film essay made from amateur travel footage uploaded on Youtube by ordinary people showing their experience of staying in Dubai. It is divided in seven sections - plus an intro and an outro - and can work both as a single screen film and a multi-channel installation - which I haven’t tested yet though. Every section has a title and is built around certain recurring elements of the original footage. The sections are organised in such an order that builds up a spatial experience throughout the city’s environments. The original footage is reframed by overlay black frames and it is accompanied by a text in the form of subtitles/captions. Dubai Dispositif revolves around notions of bodies, space (urban, architecture, environmental), (self-)representation, technology, and the intertwined relations between them. I binge-watched the footage and collected it - first by making online playlists, then by downloading it on my computer. In the editing software I broke the videos into pieces, hunting and gathering recurring fragments - always different, yet always identical, which I then re-arranged in compilations, that constitute the seven sections of the film. I turned all the footage in black and white to allow a more abstract, detached viewing, as well as to emphasise its always-different-always-identical nature. I reframed the footage with overlay black frames, intended to re-orientate the viewer’s gaze towards certain features of the images used that I found significant. Every section has its own specific framing form. All along the editing process I wrote a text by additional fragments, that combines essayistic elements, quotes from readings, personal notes. The text is superimposed onto the images to create an additional layer of interpretation and meaning. Finally, I extracted the original sound from the footage and made a drone-like, mostly low-pitched soundscape that complements the images on screen. The film speculatively considers Dubai as a hotspot of our times, in which certain tendencies and processes of our times take extreme forms and become therefore paradoxically visible. Figuratively speaking, it regards Dubai as an optical prism through which reality is decomposed and made visible; or as a divination crystal ball in which, by observing its present, a possible future can be foreseen. The main intention of the work is therefore to intercept images coming from a radically different place, to penetrate into them deeply and to dissect them, and then recompose them trying to bring to sight and understand how that “other”, far-away place is closely related to “our” present and near future. To generate speculative fiction from fragments of reality, moving on the edge between alienation and projection. I did not want my film to refer directly to Dubai. The word Dubai is in the title, but in the film it is never mentioned, and Dubai’s most renowned symbols are not shown. In doing so I intended to create a certain sense of ambiguity: I admittedly use images exclusively coming from Dubai, but on the other hand I do not show anything of what Dubai actually is in collective imagination and its expected representation, focusing instead on rather anonymous, generic moments, settings, actions that might possibly belong to anywhere.

---

SESSION 2 - INTERVIEWS

RAW TEXT (944 words)

Spell set set set can you hear me yeah OK great So what are you making so actually I presented it yesterday so I'm ready but I'm at the moment I'm starting to work on this a project which I actually had in my mind for quite a long time it's it's very vague at the moment but the starting point of it is like my sort of obsession with this small remote island in the Indian Ocean which is called N Sentinel island and which is like inhabited by most isolated tribe in the world and I find I I discovered it by chance actually a few years ago and I've been instantly fascinated by the possibility of the existence of such a place and such like bubble of like mystery and unknown'cause we live in a like in a world whose like main tendency is to to review and to make everything explicit and to get to know things and the way things are like work and exist deeper and deeper and always like and it's a way to like to impose control over what is surrounds us so it's like it's there's a relation between like knowledge and power and I'm very fascinated by yeah as I said the fact that in this world there is still still exists a place in which which has been like is resisting like this tendency so this is the starting point and like my film is not going to be like a documentary about the asylum but about the implications of this this island so it's like it's like a sort of a microscopic case study then I would like to expand to to talk about yeah wider issues and another thing that's very important to me and it's like relevant also to Hawaii like general practice is the fact that of course we don't have we have very few images of this island and of the people living there so again there's a relation between like knowledge and images which I end representation which I find very interesting it's probably one of the main topics that I will address in this film and yeah so kind of lost Miami it's alright yeah yes I'm working on this yeah I'm starting to work on it OK why are you making it yeah I'm making it because yeah basically because it's it's a circle session that I have and because I from the very beginning I felt like there's a lot of questions and relevant topics at stake in this like yeah this place and this yeah in this subject this topic so I I feel like there's OK OK so I feel there are a lot of things to be said and to be like research above yes I would yeah I feel there's potential and I feel the need to to focus on that OK how does it relate to other things you've done OK yeah I I think it's there's quite a few relations with the previous film that I recently made which is a film for Dubai it's it's related to it in a sort of by contrast I'd say because the film about by it's I mean they're all both of them are films like about plays a place you know way and and people living in those places um both of them are made using found images both moving or like still images but at the same time they're very like they say they are like because the Dubai film is mainly about the overproduction of images the overall exposure of like over like self exposure of people and people's lives and experiences in like first person while the film about the island is works on the complete opposite mean or something like the absence and the possibility of images and so the invisibility not on the self exposure so yeah and that's why I feel they somehow being so different they somehow are on the same research correction yeah OK great how is it different to other things you've done I mean I don't really know because I've just like I'm just starting it right now but I would like it to be different in the approach that I want to have in this film because like for example the Dubai film was very I'd say cold and like super like analytical and you know we reach it well I would like this new work to be more open and in a way more like intuitive I would like to work on it in a more intuitive way rather than like setting like straight like rules to which to stick yeah so that's that that might be might be one main differences but still I mean I don't know always comes in OK what are the most significant choices have you made recently I think that one of the most significant choice choices that I've made recently is that like I'm thinking about not even showing this argument like to just like circle circumnavigated without actually showing it's the images on the island we don't actually talking about it but just yeah using it as a method for or as a simple rather than focusing on it which is quite a significant shift from my life original intentions about this project which was wanted to be more focused on the island and I would like to really like use it as a as a starting point but then just also give me the freedom to move farther away from me yeah great I really like that idea done

EDIT 1 (683 words)

So, actually I presented my current work yesterday (in Barendt’s class, ed.) so you already know something about it. But yes, at the moment I'm starting to work on a project which I actually had in my mind for quite a long time. It's still very vague at the moment but the starting point of it is my sort of obsession with this small, remote island in the Indian Ocean which is called North Sentinel Island and which is inhabited by the so-called “most isolated tribe in the world”. I discovered it by chance, actually, a few years ago and I was instantly fascinated by the possibility of the existence of such a place, such a bubble of mystery and unknown. Because we live in a world whose main tendency is to make everything explicit, to get to know things and the way they work and exist deeper and deeper. And it's a way to impose control over what surrounds us. There's a relation between knowledge and power, and I'm very fascinated by - as I said - the fact that in this world there still exists a place which has been resisting this tendency. So this (the island, ed.) is the starting point, and my film is not going to be like a documentary about this island, but about the implications of it. It's a sort of microscopic case study that I would like to expand to talk about wider issues. Another thing that's very important to me and it's like relevant also to my general practice is the fact that of course we have very few images of this island and of the people living there, so again there's a relation between knowledge and images, and representation, which I find very interesting and it's probably one of the main topics that I will address in this film.

I'm making this film because it’s an obsession that I have and because from the very beginning I felt like there's a lot of questions and relevant topics at stake in this place, in this subject. I feel there are a lot of things to be said and to be researched, I feel there's potential and I feel the need to to focus on that.

I think there are quite a few relations with the previous film that I recently made, which is a film about Dubai. It relates to it by contrast, I'd say. I mean, they're both films about a place, and people living in those places. And both of them are made using found images - moving or still images. But at the same time they're opposite, because the Dubai film is mainly about the overproduction of images, the overexposure - self-exposure - of people, and people's lives and experiences, in first-person, while this new film about the island works on the complete opposite conditions, the absence and the impossibility of images, the invisibility. So yes, that's why I feel that in being so different they are somehow on the same research direction.

I'm just starting it right now but I would like my approach to this film to be different from one that i had in the Dubai film. That one was very, I'd say, cold and super analytical, while I would like this new work to be more open and in a way more intuitive. I would like to work on it in a more intuitive way rather than setting myself straight rules to which to stick. So that might be might be one main difference

I think that one of the most significant choices that I've made recently is that I'm currently thinking about not even showing the island in the film, to just circumnavigate it without actually showing its image, without actually talking about it, but just using it as a metaphor, as a symbol. This is quite a significant shift from my original intentions about this project, which wanted to be more focused on the island. Now I would like to really use it as a starting point but then also give myself the freedom to move further away from it.

EDIT 2 (xxx words)

So, actually I presented my current work yesterday (in Barendt’s class, ed.) so you already know something about it. But yes, at the moment I'm starting to work on a project which I actually had in my mind for quite a long time. It's still very vague at the moment but the starting point of it is my sort of obsession with this small, remote island in the Indian Ocean which is called North Sentinel Island and which is inhabited by the so-called “most isolated tribe in the world”. I discovered it by chance, actually, a few years ago and I was instantly fascinated by the possibility of the existence of such a place, such a bubble of mystery and unknown. Because we live in a world whose main tendency is to make everything explicit, to get to know things and the way they work and exist deeper and deeper. And it's a way to impose control over what surrounds us. There's a relation between knowledge and power, and I'm very fascinated by - as I said - the fact that in this world there still exists a place which has been resisting this tendency. So this (the island, ed.) is the starting point, and my film is not going to be like a documentary about this island, but about the implications of it. Some keywords that I'm currently reflecting and speculating on are mystery, desire, utopia, visibility/invisibility, otherness/togetherness. The island is then a sort of microscopic case study that I would like to expand to talk about these wider issues. Another thing that's very important to me and it's relevant also to my general practice is the fact that of course we have very few images of this island and of the people living there, so again there's a relation between knowledge and images/representation, and power, which I find very interesting and it's probably one of the main topics that I will address in this film. As a film-maker and visual artist, I am deeply fascinated by the lack of images - and related lack of knowledge, as well as the underlying power dynamics that the case of North Sentinel puts forward. The primordial, diehard struggle of its inhabitant to be left alone appears to be primarily an act of resistance not to give up their representation, a will of being invisible. Keeping strangers at a distance not only means preventing them to materially seize their land, but, perhaps more importantly, means to prevent the possibility to represent them. A battle on the field of representation, where images - being primary means of knowledge, and thus power - are weapons. I am also attracted by the contrast between their common description as weak and endangered, and their being - speculatively speaking - possibly the strongest, last stand of resistance against modern civilization and progress.

I'm making this film because it’s an obsession that I have had for a long time and because from the very beginning I felt like there's a lot of questions and relevant topics at stake in this place, in this subject, which I tried to outline. I feel there are a lot of things to be said and to be researched, I feel there's potential and I feel the need to to focus on that.

I think there are quite a few relations with the previous film that I recently made, which is a film about Dubai. It relates to it by contrast, I'd say. I mean, they're both films about a place, and people living in those places. And both of them are made using found images - moving or still images. But at the same time they're opposite, because the Dubai film is mainly about the overproduction of images, the overexposure - self-exposure - of people, and people's lives and experiences, in first-person, while this new film about the island works on the complete opposite conditions, the absence and the impossibility of images, the invisibility. So yes, that's why I feel that in being so different they are somehow on the same research direction.

I'm just starting it right now but I would like my approach to this film to be different from one that i had in the Dubai film. That one was very, I'd say, cold and super analytical, while I would like this new work to be more open and in a way more intuitive. I would like to work on it in a more intuitive way rather than setting myself straight rules to which to stick. So that might be might be one main difference.

I think that one of the most significant choices that I've made recently is that I'm currently thinking about not even showing the island in the film, to just circumnavigate it without actually showing its image, or mentioning its name, but just using it as a metaphor, as a symbol. This is quite a significant shift from my original intentions about this project, which wanted to be more focused on the island. Now I would like to really use it as a starting point but then also give myself the freedom to move further away from it.