Aratrika text on practice 1st draft

1. What have you been making?

I have been working on a short film for the EYE-project, titled “where is a portal?”. It is a visual poem about gateways to other worlds I noticed, looked for and found, or were thrust upon me in my everyday life. I have also been gathering self-recorded clips of myself, in my room where I spend most of my time, filmed in moments of moments of joy and euphoria, or whenever the sun is out. Often along with clips of things I see from my bedroom window.

2. How did you do it? (method)

Image-making for me is the first step to discovery and meaning-making. I follow the rhythms of my body and moods to make images and then look back on them and see what they could mean to me, what narrative they create for me and my experiences. They also are a way of discovery and documentation of the world around me.

Project 1:

What:

A 3-minute long, 4:3 film made up of clips taken on an 2000’s digital camera. Titled “where is a portal?”. It is a visual poem about gateways to other worlds I noticed, looked for and found, or were thrust upon me in my everyday life. The footage retains the in-camera colour and light and the sound is the raw ambient sound from the footage itself.

How:

I spent a few days shooting as I went about my daily routines and travels, then closer to the deadline I sat down and looked at the footage all together and see how I could bring a sense of rhythm and flow to the clips so they could inform each other.

Why are you making it?

In the past I’ve leaned more towards making photos than moving images, and in making photos I feel like you see portals, in different places… like you see a still image and it feels like a portal. So I’ve had a lot of moments with photos where I was like: this is amazing, this takes you somewhere else. I’ve also been thinking about portals you don’t just stumble upon but ones you create, as a means to go where you want to go. I was talking to my friend and we were talking about what you want from a portal says something about you and your desires. It’s also an escape from your reality and it tells you about things that you don’t like about where you are currently. It’s also trippy and it feels like an immersive experience. A feeling of going elsewhere; it’s always positive, or optimistic rather. That’s why I’ve been interested in it.

This was also my first time really having to think of a topic and then shooting footage for it intentionally and putting it together. I usually film whenever I feel moved to do it, and then it comes together as a coherent work later. So the theme I’m exploring and my method of making it was new for me to explore. This was also my first time trying this old digicam and shooting with it and discovering its textures and how it really works in action.

Project 2:

What will it be?

A film montage of visuals of me filmed by myself using different instagram filters. In these clips I am alone, doing everyday things, often looking into the camera. There is overlaying audio that creates a coherence and narrative.

Why do you want to make it?

I am interested in the ways we choose to depict ourselves, the joys of choosing and building our identities. I have been exploring self portraiture in this way for a while now and want to put the different clips together and see what I discover.

Describe how it would be made:

-Look through archives from 2019-now and download relevant and interesting clips -Put them into a video editing timeline -Play around with them in terms of order, duration, colour -Make note of what kind of themes or narratives emerge, feel free to experiment with various iterations -If it feels right work on a voice over or sound design to tie everything together -Imagine how it might play out as a video installation

Extra steps: -Imagine how it might play out as a video installation -Play around with TouchDesigner

3. Relation to previous practice

Looking back, at the beginning of the program I had more of a focus on still image self-portraiture, which I see less of in my practice today. Me recording myself doing everyday things remains part of my practice that I want to build on and make into an expanded work.

I have gained a new skill of working with video editing software (da vinci resolve) that I have incorporated into my moving image work to use it to build contrast and a narrative of sorts. I think it’s a useful space for me to play around with material that exists in my archive.

I have however been thinking more about things that are happening in the world and my place in it, and how I can intentionally incorporate things that are of growing importance to me in my work. I think my existing practice of diaristic everyday image does have space to incorporate new elements into it, subtly, but I do think I’m feeling a shift in myself, and looking for a way to use my work to explore that more, or vice versa (use the shift to explore new forms of work).

4. What do you want to make next? + 5. Why do you want to make it?

I want to spend a lot of time playing and sketching, maybe trying different media like collage and photo and text and see what that brings up for me. I want to get out of my head and use into other media.

I also want to make more photographs.

Interview transcript:

I've been thinking a lot more in the last couple of months about - my worldview has shifted a lot, and my work hasn't caught up to that, these new things that are now on my mind, what they mean? A lot of are related to political stuff. That's just s.. Anything that you make has the influence of the world around you in it. But it's something I never itentionally though about, or critically examined: what does my work say about that? What's my position in the world? In a lot of ways.. for example Portals: dissocating, escaping reality in a way that feels good. I need to start playing and sketching to think about what that brings up for me. It doesn't have to be.. me thinking of a brand new practice, or approach from the ground up, but see how these new topics can enter the ideas that I already have, the practices I alreadybuilt. What I want to do next is: get out of my head a little more, and become active in making more images, write more, express myself, figuratively sketch in different mediums. Start making work instead of thinking, see what comes out of it. Getting out of my head about it.

Zhuang asks: There's a aspect/quality of everydayness which I enjoyed. You were saying that you want to address the aspect of politics in your work. The way you describe your work is more about editing previous shot footage. Are there any specific ways of adressing these political issues or thoughts, in this way of working, or does it require a different way of working?

Aratrika: Should I come up with a new idea? A new project? But, after having a couple of tutoring session, I'm thinking these kind of notions and topics kind of already exist in the everyday work that I'm making. Something like a diary. Thinking more about how to combine the two in a more subtle manner.

Zhuang: Something that is so specific to you, but [talking about the objective vs subjective camera pov]

Zhuang: Writing might be a good tool. I enjoyed the intimicy of you with the camera; diary; recording. Writing could be a good way to wire them together; or kind of build certain relationships between one shot and another; or remove a relationship between two shots. Fragmented-like everyday footage. There is a kind of tenderness; something so tangible, relatable.

Aratrika: Writing: writing a treatment? Journaling?

Zhuang: Anything. [mentions artist who writes about images, not only describing it but also expressing his memory of seeing it].