LauText

What have you been making?

My most recent project is the short film 'There's Something Behind Glass'. It's a visual essay that compares a personal story to a news event, in this case a grindr date that never happened and the escape of silverback gorilla Bokito in the Rotterdam zoo. The film is in my opinion a stream of consciousness, since it portrays an associative thought process.

How did you make it?

I found both stories that I tried to combine fascinating and similar in a strange, symbolic way. Trying to blend these texts together in one medium was difficult and I'm still not entirely sure if I totally got it in this version.

I started with creating images that carried certain aspects of the story. Later I wrote and recorded the voice-over which became the fundament for the structure of the film. The next step images with certain parts of the texts. In this voice-over I tell about a personal story while also giving flashbacks about the events surrounding Bokito. In a way I wanted to juxtapose these two happenings in image and sound. Eventually the two stories come together through the use of a human wearing a speedo and a gorilla mask appearing in front of the camera.

Relation to previous practice.

For me working in this personal, essayistic way is different from the work I used to produce. I was primarily focused on documentary and fiction work in a traditional way. Films that represented a certain message in scenes and not directly addressing one’s own thoughts. In this film I have been operating on a more individual level. I used to work with bigger crews and this time I did everything myself, script, camera, edit and sound.

What do you want to make next?

For my next project I’d like to focus more on using the notion of space in my work. A lot of my work has been limited to single screen media, which can be watched from everywhere, from a telephone to a cinema room.

But I have been interested for a long time in creating an ambience with image and sound in a particular space. I’d like to include performance art in these pieces as well. But these ambitions always have to match with the story I’d like to tell next. Sometimes I do switch back to a more classical cinematic work. In my opinion form can be a start, but function determines the end result.

I’d like to use the essaystic form as part of the process again, because it can express similarities and flows of thought in a quick, interesting way.

For my future research I’d like to dive more into topics as generational trauma, addiction and healing. For this I want to use found footage of my own childhood while also researching a broader history of queer oppression and resistance.

Why do you want to make it?

In a way I want my work to be a healing component itself, not only for myself but also the participant that enters the film or work.

Feedback Sam/Te:

• 'In my opinion', you write it in first person, it sounds a bit redundant. You're the one who makes it. Leave it out and it sounds stronger.
• Curious about the Bokito event, it would be nice if you give some more details. How is that important to you. I feel curious to know more. Contextualize that.
• The metaphor of glass, more clear. Poetry. Elaborate on this a bit more.
• Writing poetry, include more of what is part of my practice.