>> OKAY AS PEOPLE ARE ENTERING
IT'S A PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU ALL FOR ANOTHER
ITERATION OF A PLUS D THURSDAYS. MY NAME IS SHANNON JACKSON. IT'S BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO
WELCOME STUDENTS. STUDENTS OF LNS25 WHO ARE
TOGETHER WITH ME AND WITH GSI'S EXPLORING THE THEME OF
TIME BASED ART THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER. AND WELCOME AS WE DO EVERY WEEK
A WIDER PUBLIC TO ENGAGE WITH MANY OF THE ARTISTS
AND CURATORS AND CRITICS WHO ARE LEADERS IN THE
FIELD. WE'VE HAD IF YOU DON'T KNOW
ALREADY AN INCREDIBLE ARRAY OF ARTISTS AND CURATORS
INCLUDING WILLIAM KENTRIDGE, STEVE MCQUEEN, SHERINE NASHAT,
CATHERINE WOOD, ADRIENNE EDWARDS. ISAAC JULIAN AND MANY MANY MORE. TODAY WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLY
GLORIOUS LUMINOUS ARTIST MERIEM BENNANI WHOSE PRACTICE
HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY KNOWN FOR ITS -- THE
INVENTIVENESS OF ITS IMAGERY,
FOR IT'S POLITICAL ACUITY FOR POST
COLONIAL FUTURIST THEMES AS WELL AS THE EMOTIONAL RANGE
FROM INCREDIBLE HUMOR TO DELICATE COMPASSION THAT IT --
THE EMOTIONAL RANGE THAT IT ELICITS FROM ALL OF US. WE'RE ALLOWED TO EXPLORE THE
THEME OF TIME BASED MEDIA ART BECAUSE WE ARE INDEBTED TO
THE KRAMLICH ART FOUNDATION WHOSE GENEROUS
DONATION MADE THIS COURSE AND LECTURE SERIES POSSIBLE. THE KRAMLICH ART FOUNDATION IS
DEVOTED TO EDUCATION PUBLIC PROGRAMMING AND RESEARCH
IN THE FIELD OF TIME BASED MEDIA ART. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHAT IT IS
TO WELCOME MERIEM BENNANI WHO THINKS DEEPLY ABOUT
A RANGE OF WE COULD SAY POST COLONIAL HISTORIES AND
GLOBAL THEMES INCLUDING WHAT IT MIGHT MEAN TO REIMAGINE
ISSUES AROUND LOCATION, HOME AND MIGRATION, IT'S A --
SUCH THEMES ARE ACUTELY RES [TPHA-RPBT] AT UC BERKELEY
AS WE REIMAGINE THE CONNECTION OF PLACE. INCLUDING OUR RELATION TO OUR
FRAUGHT HISTORY HIS. INCLUDING THAT UC BERKELEY IS
SITED ON THE UNCEDED AND ANCESTRAL LAND OF THE OHLONE
PEOPLE. AND ACKNOWLEDGING THE DEEP AND
RICH AND FRAUGHT HISTORY OF UC BERKELEY CONNECTION TO THE
OHLONE TRIBE AS WELL WE RECOGNIZE THE OHLONE PEOPLE
ARE FLOURISHING AND ENGAGED MEMBERS OF THE BERKELEY
COMMUNITY AND THE BAY AREA MORE WIDELY. AS WE THINK WHAT IT MEANS TO
REIMAGINE SPACE TOGETHER AND DEPLOY A VARIETY OF MEDIAS
STORY AND SPACES OF GATHERING IN ORDER TO DO SO WE
MIGHT BE THAT MUCH MORE INSPIRED BY MERIEM BENNANI WHOSE
WORK HAS BEEN COLLECTED BY A RANGE OF MAJOR
COLLECTIONS AND MUSEUMS ARNOLD THE WORLD. EXHIBITED AT VENUES THROUGHOUT
THE WORLD INCLUDING THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF ART, THE
KITCHEN AND SOCIAL MEDIA VENUES SUCH AS INSTAGRAM AND
SNAPCHAT. MERIEM IS INDEED SOMEBODY WHO IS
RETHINKING THE NATURE OF MEDIA AS AN ART FORM AND AS
YOU COULD SAY A DELIVERY SYSTEM. A DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR CONNECTION
AND PROVOCATION. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TOL SEEING
WHAT FORMS OF CONNECTION AND PROVOCATION SHE HAS TODAY. MERIEM, I'M GOING TO TURN THE
SCREEN OVER TO YOU. THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. >> HI EVERYONE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUCH A
BEAUTIFUL INTRO SHANNON. I DID NOT REALIZE THAT YOU HAD
SUCH AN AMAZING LECTURE SERIES. NOW I FEEL I WISH I HAD ATTENDED
ALL THE PREVIOUS ONES. SO THANKS FOR HAVING ME. I'M GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT A
SPECIFIC PROJECT TODAY. I FOUND IT'S NICE IN THE SPACE
OF A LECTURE TO FOCUS ON ONE THING. I REMEMBER BEING IN SCHOOL I
ALWAYS LIKED SEEING HOW AN ARTIST GOES FROM HAVING AN
[TKWRO-D] IT BECOMING A PROJECT. AND THE DIFFERENT STEPS OF THAT. I WILL RUN YOU THROUGH HOW I
STARTED THINKING ABOUT THIS PROJECT AND IT'S DIFFERENT
ITERATIONS IN DIFFERENT EXHIBITION SPACES. AND IN GENERAL MY APPROACH WILL
BE PRETTY CASUAL. PLEASE THINK OF QUESTIONS AS I
GO. I REALLY WANT TO HAVE
CONVERSATIONS AFTER. I FIND THAT'S ALWAYS THE BEST
WAY OF COMMUNICATING ANYWAYS. YEAH, I'LL START -- I'LL SHARE
MY SCREEN NOW. ALL RIGHT. SO PARTY ON THE CAPS. PARTY ON THE CAPS IS A PROJECT
THAT I STARTED, I WOULD SAY SPEAKING AT THE END -- AT
THE BEGINNING OF 2016. AND AS YOU KNOW THAT'S WHEN
TRUMP GOT ELECTED. AND AT THE TIME I WAS ACTUALLY
JUST KIND OF LIKE DOING RESEARCH. AND LOOKING INTO QUANTUM
PHYSICS, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE QUANTUM PHYSICS ARE TALKED ABOUT
EXTREMELY COMPLICATED FUTURE OF SCIENCE. AND I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
IT MEANT ON A BASIC LEVEL. WHAT ARE QUANTUM PHYSICS. WHAT ARE ADVANCEMENTS THAT HAVE
BEEN ACHIEVED IN THAT FIELD. AND MORE SPECIFICALLY HOW THAT
RELATES TO THE TELEPORTATION. IS TELEPORTATION A SCI-FI TROPE
OR SOMETHING WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS AND GETS CLOSER
TO. SO I FIND OUT -- I'LL GO DOWN
HERE. I FOUND OUT THAT ACTUALLY
TELEPORTATION WAS NOT SO SCI-FI. THERE HAS BEEN A FEW SUCCESSFUL
ACTUALLY 3 SUCCESSFUL TESTS WHERE A PHOTON A PARTICLE
OF LIGHT HAS BEEN TELEPORTED FROM THE CANARY
ISLAND TO THE OTHER CANARY ISLAND. AND I WAS THINKING WHOA IF WE
CAN DO THAT WITH PARTICULATE LIGHT WE'RE A LONG
WAY OF DOING IT WITH A FULL HUMAN BODY BUT MAYBE ONE
DAY IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE. I WAS THINKING OF THESE
DIFFERENT IDEAS. WITH THAT IN MIND THE FIRST
THING THAT HAPPENED WHEN TRUMP GOT ELECTED HE PASSED A
MUSLIM BAN. AND I AM MYSELF -- I'M NOT A
RESIDENT. I DON'T HAVE A GREEN CARD OR
PASSPORT. I'VE BEEN DOING VISAS EVERY 2 OR
3 YEARS FOR THE PAST 15-16 YEARS OF MY LIFE. THIS IDEA OF BORDERS I WAS
THINKING ABOUT A LOT. WITH THE TELEPORTATION IN MIND I
THOUGHT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE IF
TELEPORTATION REPLACES TRAVEL BY AIRPLANE, HOW WILL IT BE
REGULATED? WILL COUNTRIES LIKE AMERICA,
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES FREAK OUT AT THEIR BORDERS. WOULD THERE BE A NEW VERSION OF
I.C.E. THIS WAS MY INITIAL THOUGHT. AND BASED ON THAT I KIND OF
STARTED THINKING ABOUT WHAT IF THERE WAS THIS ISLAND IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE ATLANTIC THAT BELONGS TO THE AMERICAN
TROOPERS WHICH IS KIND OF LIKE NEW I.C.E. OFFICER I
INVENTED OR THOUGHT ABOUT -- NOT EVEN INVENTED. IT'S NOT VERY FAR FROM REALITY. THINKING IT'S A BASE IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE ATLANTIC THAT IS THERE TO INTERCEPT
TELEPORTATIONS FROM COUNTRIES IN AFRICA TO AMERICA. AND THEN WHAT WOULD THEY DO ONCE
THEY HAVE INTERCEPTED SOMEONE THAT'S BEEN TELEPORTED? WOULD THAT PERSON BE MOMENTARILY
HELD ON THIS ISLAND. WHAT IF IT TOOK SO LONG TO
FIGURE OUT HOW TO PASS NEW LAWS AROUND TELEPORTATION THAT
THIS PLACE BECAME A PLACE OF ITS OWN. DIASPORA LIVE AND IN BETWEEN
STATE. ANALOGY FOR THE IN BETWEEN STATE
THAT IS THE CASE OF PREHISTORIC LIVING. THOSE ARE THE IDEAS I HAD. I STARTED DRAWING MAPS OF THIS
ISLAND. NOT KNOWING WHERE I WAS GOING TO
GO WITH THE PROJECT. IMAGINING YOU'RE SEEING HERE 2
SIDES OF THE OCEAN. THERE'S A BIG MAGNETIC BUBBLE
MAGNET FIELD THAT'S THERE TO INTERCEPT TELEPORTATIONS. AND THE ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE AND
SO THIS WAS LIKE WHERE WE'D BE LOCATED. THIS WAS A MAP OF THE ISLAND
WHERE THERE WOULD BE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS. THAT'S ANOTHER MAP OF THE
ISLAND. AND THEN I NEEDED A NARRATOR. I WAS THINKING OKAY NOW I HAVE
THIS ISLAND. MY PRACTICE USUALLY I HAVE FIRST
A DOCUMENTARY APPROACH. I HAVE IN MOST OF MY FILMS BEEN
INTERESTED IN SPECIFIC PERSON OR SPECIFIC SUBJECT. THEN I GO TO FILM LIKE A
DOCUMENTARY FILM MAKER AND BRING THAT FOOTAGE BACK HOME
WITH ME. SOMETHING WRONG HAPPENS. I STOP FOLLOWING THE CLASSIC
DOCUMENTARY EDITS THAT WOULD NATURALLY COME TO SOMEONE
WHO WORKS IN FILM. AND I START BRINGING IN 3D AND
SPECIAL EFFECTS TO MANUFACTURE MY VERSION OF THE
STORY. OR WHAT I FEEL HAS MORE TRUTH TO
IT. I MANIPULATE IMAGES SO MUCH I'M
NOT TRYING TO CREATE THE ILLUSION THAT THE DIRECTOR
IS NOT THERE. THAT USUALLY HAPPENS IN CLASSIC
DOCUMENTARY. I LIKE TO THINK OF THIS IDEA BY
REALLY MANIPULATING THE FOOTAGE AND BEING TRANSPARENT
ABOUT IT I'M TRYING TO HAVE A MORE GENERATIVE PROJECT
HOW DOCUMENTARY IS SUBJECTIVE. IT IS THE RESULT OF A LOT OF
DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE AFTER YOU FILM PEOPLE THAT HAVE
OPENED UP THEIR LIVES TO YOU. THOSE ARE SOME THINGS I THINK
ABOUT. WITH THIS PROJECT HAVING A
SCI-FI ELEMENT, I THOUGHT IDEALLY WHAT I WANT TO DO IS
ESTABLISH THIS PLACE, EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS. AND THEN INSIDE THAT PLACE MAKE
A DOCUMENTARY. IN ORDER FOR ME TO ESTABLISH THE
PLACE, I THOUGHT I NEED A CLASSIC INTRODUCTION LIKE
ANY SCI-FI FILM WHERE SOMEONE EXPLAINS WHAT THE PLACE
IS, WHAT THE TIME IS IN THE FUTURE, WHAT'S HAPPENING. KIND OF LIKE WHAT I EXPLAINED TO
YOU. I OFTEN HAVE ANIMATED AVATARS
AND CHARACTERS IN MY WORK. THAT HELPS ME CREATE A BRIDGE
BETWEEN ME AND MY AUDIENCE. HERE I CREATED A COCK DIAL HER
NAME IS FIONA. THE ORIGIN OF THE CROCODILE
NARRATOR FOR THIS FILM WAS THAT AS I WAS THINKING ABOUT
THIS I VISITED MOROCCO. FOR SOME REASON I SAW AT LEAST 5
DIFFERENT PEOPLE WALKING ARNOLD IN THE STREET
WITH LA COST TRACK SUIT. LIKE THE ONE YOU SEE ON THE
BOTTOM LEFT. LA COSTE IS A CLASSIC BRAND. THERE ARE SO MANY BOOT LEGS IN
MOROCCO. THE LOGO IS SO ADAPTABLE. EASY TO ADAPT IN DIFFERENT WAYS. I WAS THINKING AT THE SAME TIME
THAT I LIKED THE IDEA OF IN THINKING ABOUT THE
GEOGRAPHY OF THE ISLAND -- I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE IT
HERE THERE'S THIS LIKE DARK RIVER THAT'S PRETTY THIN
THAT GOES AROUND THE TOP PART OF THE ISLAND. I THOUGHT SINCE I CAN CREATE ANY
MAPS OR GEOGRAPHY FOR THIS ISLAND I WANT TO THINK
ABOUT A NARRATIVE. THINGS THAT WILL HELP IN STORY
TELLING. I FELT SURROUNDING AN ISLAND BY
A SWAMP IS AN AGE OLD CINEMATIC TRICK TO MAKE A PLACE
FEEL ICONIC AND [HA-UPBLT]ED. I THOUGHT MAYBE THERE'S A BIG
ALLIGATOR THAT'S A SWAMP MONSTER THAT IS KIND OF LIKE AN
IMPORTANT PART OF THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE PLACE. IT ALL MADE SENSE WITH LA COSTE. I THOUGHT A CROCODILE. THE LOGO YOU SEE THE BUFF
CROCODILE THAT'S MY VERSION OF THE LACOSTE CROCODILE FOR
CAPS ISLAND. THERE'S THE IDEA THAT ANYTHING
ON THE ISLAND IS MADE FROM THIS BRAND CROCO. I STARTED DESIGNING THE
CHARACTER OF THE CROCODILE, THE NARRATOR. IN THE BOTTOM YOU SEE SOME OF MY
INSOS. ON THE TOP YOU SEE THE DRAWING. SHE WAS KIND OF GOOFY. AS I WAS LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT
VOICE ACTOR FOR THE CROCODILE, I FOUND THIS WOMAN
WHO LIVES IN BARCELONA. AND SHE'S A RAPPER. AND IT WAS SOMEONE THAT I WAS
FRIENDS WITH ON INSTAGRAM. SHE HAD AN AMAZING SPEAKING
VOICE. I TOLD HER ABOUT THE PRODUCT. SHE WAS EXCITED ABOUT TRYING OUT
TO BE THE VOICE. IMMEDIATELY IT MADE SO MUCH
SENSE FOR THE CHARACTER. THEN I FINISHED DESIGNING THE
CHARACTER OF THE CROCODILE AND I CALLED HER FIONA
AFTER THE REAL FIONA. AND I TRIED TO MODEL THE
CROCODILE A BIT AFTER HER. SHE'S SO CHARISMATIC AND FUNNY. I WANTED TO HAVE THAT ESSENCE
WITHIN THE NARRATOR. NOW I HAVE THIS NARR NARRATOR
WHO COULD TELL ANY STORY I WANTED AND THIS PLACE. WHICH IS A PERFECT STARTING
POINT FOR A STORY. WHEN I SAY STORY, OBVIOUSLY, YOU
KNOW, I'M CREATING THIS PARALLEL VERSION OF
REALITY. THIS SPECULATIVE PLACE TO
CRITIQUE REALITY, TO TALK ABOUT REALITY. WITHIN IT, I WANTED TO FEEL LIKE
IT'S A REAL DOCUMENTARY. AND IT'S NOT SCIENCE FICTION. SO I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU A
LITTLE BIT OF FIONA IN THE INTRODUCTION WHO IS EXPLAINING
WHAT HAPPENS. [MUSIC]. >> ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU STORY. >> STOPS HERE. CAUSE IT'S JUST A LOOK. A SNIPPET OF WHAT FIONA DOES AND
HER FUNCTIONS. SO WHEN THAT WAS DONE THIS IS AN
INTRODUCTION THAT KIND OF ESTABLISHES THE WORLD, I
STILL HAD NO IDEA WHERE I WAS GOING TO TAKE THE FILM OR
THE PROJECT. AND AT THE TIME I WAS WORKING --
I GOT COMMISSIONED BY THE BIENNIEL OF MOVING IMAGE IN
GENEVA TO INSTALLATION. I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A
PERFECT PROJECT. I WAS ALREADY WORKING ON IT. AND I HAD ENOUGH TIME TO FINISH
THE FILM BEFORE THE EXHIBITION. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I WAS
GIVEN AN ACTUAL PRODUCTION BUDGET FOR THE VIDEO
PART OF MY WORK. SINCE I FILM AND I DO SPECIAL
EFFECTS, I ALWAYS -- I'M IN THE SITUATION WHERE I DO IT
ALL ON MY OWN. AND THEN I HAVE FINANCIAL
SUPPORT TO BUILD SCULPTURES. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD
SOME MONEY TO THINK ABOUT SCALING UP A BIT HOW I WORK IN
TERMS OF THE VIDEO ITSELF. AND I THOUGHT WHAT IF I TOOK
THAT MONEY TO THROW A BIG PARTY. AND THE PARTY ITSELF IS A PARTY
THAT HAPPENS ON THE CAPS. I WILL FILM IT IN MOROCCO. ULTIMATELY THIS IS A DOCUMENTARY
ABOUT MOROCCO. BY THAT I MEAN THAT ALTHOUGH IT
IS SUPPOSED TO TAKE PLACE SOMEWHERE ELSE, THE PEOPLE
I'M FILMING ARE REALLY TALKING ABOUT THEMSELVES. I ASKED FAMILY MEMBERS TO ROLE
PLAY. THE EXTENT OF THE ROLE PLAY THEY
HAD TO FOLLOW SIMPLE RULES. IT'S TO BE AT THE PARTY TO BE
THEMSELVES. BUT TO SAY THEY'RE ON THE CAPS
AND THAT WE'RE IN THE FUTURE AND TO UNDERSTAND THE
CONCEPT. SO THEN I KNEW I WANTED TO THROW
A PARTY AT MY GRANDMA'S HOUSE. THIS WAS THE HOUSE. AND THEN I DESIGN IN 3D THIS
ELEMENT TO BE LIKE THIS IS CLASSIC TRADITIONAL MOROCCAN
NEIGHBORHOOD. HOW CAN I IN A SIMPLE WAY CREATE
A FEELING THAT WE ARE IN A MOROCCAN NEIGHBORHOOD
EITHER IN THE FUTURE OR SOMETHING IS OFF. SO I CREATED THIS 3 FLOOR COUCH
WHICH YOU'LL SEE LATER IN THE VIDEO. AND I THOUGHT WHAT IS THE PARTY
ABOUT? WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE PARTY? HOW CAN I IN A SIMPLE WAY BRING
THE THEMES THAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THROUGH
THIS SUBJECT? A BIG ORIGIN STORY FOR THE
PEOPLE ON THE CAPS IS THAT THEY WERE IN A STATE OF
DISASSEMBLEMENT AT THE QUANTUM LEVEL. THEY WERE VIOLENTLY INTERCEPTED
AT THAT VULNERABLE STATE AND HAD TO REASSEMBLE. THERE'S A VIOLENCE THAT IS
OBVIOUSLY AN ANALOGY FOR BORDER VIOLENCE. THAT'S HOW THEY LAND IN THIS
PLACE AND START THEIR LIFE. SO THE RELATIONSHIP TO YOUR BODY
I THINK WOULD BE VERY VERY DIFFERENT AND WAY MORE AT
STAKE. THE IDEA OF NOT TAKING A FULL
BODY FOR GRANTED. WHICH TAKES YOU -- KIND OF
QUESTIONS WHAT YOUR -- WHAT YOUR BODY CAN DO, GENDER, AGE,
REALLY ANYTHING RELATED TO YOUR BODY. AND I ALSO IMAGINED THIS IS A
PLACE IN THE FUTURE WHERE BIOTECHS HAVE MADE A LOT OF
PROGRESS AND YOU CAN NEVER TRUST SOMEONE'S AGE BY HOW THEY
LOOK. I THOUGHT THIS IS THE BIRTHDAY
PARTY OF A WOMAN WHO IS 80. SHE WAS BORN IN MOROCCO. HAS BEEN LIVING ON THE CAPS AND
HAD KIDS ON THE CAPS. AND FOR HER 80TH BIRTHDAY AS A
PRESENT SHE GOT AGE REVERSAL SURGERY. SHE LOOKS LIKE SHE'S IN THE 20S. MY COUSIN WHO IS IN HER 20S IS
THE BIRTH DAY GIRL. THIS IS HOW I THOUGHT OF THE
IDEA OF BABY ADULTS. SEEING KIDS THAT ARE ACTUALLY
MINI ADULTS. I SAW THIS KID THAT LOOKS LIKE
ED SHEARAN SOMEWHERE. I KEPT THAT IMAGE. IN THE VIDEO THERE IS A BABY
COUPLE. THIS IS THE BIRTHDAY GIRL. MY COUSIN. WHAT I DID, I KNEW I WANTED TO
HAVE THIS PARTY THERE WOULD BE SO MUCH GOING ON. I ASKED EVERYONE TO WEAR GREEN. FEEL LIKE SOMETHING IS DIFFERENT
THAN REALITY. EVERYONE SHOULD JUST BE
THEMSELVES. IT WAS VERY VERY REAL AND SO
MUCH HAPPENS AT A PARTY. I KNEW I COULDN'T CAPTURE
EVERYTHING. WHAT I DECIDED TO DO IS ASK 2
OTHER PEOPLE TO FILM WITH ME. I HIRED A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER. I CREATED A PHOTO BOOTH. I ASKED THEM TO TAKE PHOTOS OF
PEOPLE AS THE PARTY WENT. THIS IS THE BIRTHDAY GIRL. THESE ARE 3 TEENAGERS WHO
ATTENDED THE PARTY. THIS IS MY MOTHER WHO PLAYS THE
MAIN CHARACTER. SO SHE'S IN A LOT OF MY VIDEOS. SHE'S AN AMAZING ACTOR AND
ALWAYS VERY OPEN TO PLAYING. ASKING YOUR FAMILY TO DO A BIG
CHILD PLAY. AND SO HER ROLE WAS THAT SHE IS
ORGANIZING THE PARTY FOR HER MOM WHOSE BIRTHDAY IT
IS. AND SO SHE'S ON CAMERA MORE THAN
OTHER PEOPLE. SHE'S ONE OF THE MAIN
CHARACTERS. SHE'S ALSO IN REAL LIFE AND ON
THE CAPS A PHARMACIST. SHE TALKS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A
PHARMACIST AND PAID REAL DOLLARS. ALL THOSE THINGS I GIVE HER
LITTLE PROMPTS. ONCE THOSE PROMPTS ARE RESPECTED
I LET HER TALK ABOUT WHO SHE IS TODAY IN MOROCCO. THAT'S WHAT I MEAN IT ENDS UP
BEING A DOCUMENTARY. THROUGH THE ROLE PLAY I CREATE A
MORE COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR DOCUMENTARY. SO THOSE ARE 2 OF MY AUNTS. THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS ACTUALLY
DOES -- IS A DERMATOLOGIST BUT SPECIALIZED IN
A LOT OF PLASTIC SURGERY. AND SO SHE WAS ALSO PLAYING
HERSELF BEING THE DOCTOR WHO PERFORMED THE AGE REVERSALS
OPERATION. AND THAT'S ANOTHER AUNT ON THE
LEFT WHO IS ONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS. THIS IS SOME OF THE BEHIND THE
SCENE OF FILMING THIS PARTY. THESE ARE SCENES FROM THE PARTY. ACTUALLY I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU
THE TRAILER FOR THE VIDEO NOW. IT'S A 30 MINUTE VIDEO. YOU WON'T GET MUCH FROM A
TRAILER. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD
TIME TO DO THAT. >> UM, OKAY. SO I HAD THIS INTRODUCTION THIS
PARTY. THE FILM KIND OF GOES BACK AND
FORTH BETWEEN THESE PARTY SCENES THAT KIND OF REVEAL
A LOT OF ELEMENTS ABOUT THE ISLAND. AND ARE THEN SCENES WHERE YOU
SPEND MORE TIME WITH INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERS AND THEY
TALK ABOUT EVERY DAY LIFE ON THE CAPS. IT GOES FROM THIS FESTIVE
CENTRAL EVENTS WHICH I PURPOSEFULLY CHOSE TO BE FESTIVE
AND A PARTY. I FELT LIKE A MOMENT OF JOY
WOULD BE THE BIGGEST DISPLAY OF RESISTANCE IN TALKING
ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE HELD BY AMERICAN AUTHORITIES. AND GOING FROM THERE FROM ONES
THAT SHOW MORE EMOTIONAL AND INTIMATE WITH SOME OF THE
CHARACTERS. I SHOULD SAY ALSO THAT THIS IS
KIND OF LIKE THE FIRST CHAPTER INSIDE A BIGGER PROJECT
CALLED LIFE ON THE CAPS WHICH WOULD BE A FULL TRILOGY. AND SO I'LL KIND OF MOVE A
LITTLE QUICKER. BECAUSE I SEE THAT IT'S ALREADY
BEEN 30 MINUTES AND I HAVE MORE THINGS I WANT TO SHOW. I WANT TO EXPLAIN A BIT HOW I
WORK. IT'S VERY MUCH A COLLAGE. AND THE IDEA IS -- AND THIS IS
IN MY PRACTICE IN GENERAL THAT WHAT I CARE MOST
ABOUT IS REALLY STORY TELLING. WHEN I SAY STORY TELLING I MEAN
I'M INTERESTED IN CREATING SPACE FOR EMOTION. AND KIND OF ACCESSING PEOPLE
THROUGH THEIR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. YOU KNOW, BEFORE BRINGING THEM
INTO SUBJECTS THAT MAYBE ARE KIND OF LIKE HARDER TO TALK
ABOUT OR POLITICALLY CHARGED. AND I FIND THAT YEAH, AS AN
ENTRY POINT EMOTION THROUGH EITHER HUMOR OR WORKING WITH
PEOPLE WHO ARE OPENING UP TO ME ON CAMERA, SOMETHING
HAPPENS, SOMETHING IS GIVEN BY ME, SOMETHING IS TAKEN BY ME
FROM THEM. YOU FEEL THAT ON THE CAMERA. I FIND THAT THE MOST GENUINE WAY
TO CONNECT. FOR THAT REASON, I DON'T FEEL
LOYAL TO ANY GENRE OR WAY OF EDITING. MY VIDEOS ARE KIND OF A COLLAGE
OF DIFFERENT AUDIO VISUAL LANGUAGES. IF ONE SCENE IS HOW THERE'S
TENSION BETWEEN 2 PEOPLE AND I FIND A TYPE OF EDITING I
SEE IN REALITY TV WOULD BEST SERVE THE TENSION IN THAT
SCENE I WILL EDIT USING THAT LANGUAGE. IF I NEED TO CREATE A KIND OF
MUSICAL SEQUENCE THAT HAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GOAL, SO
THAT I CAN LEND THE EMOTION THAT I WANT I WILL
BORROW SOMETHING I SAW ON CINEMA. I WILL GO TO WEDDING VI STYLE,
TO SHAKY DOCUMENTARY IF THAT'S RIGHT. AND NOT NECESSARILY ANY DESIRE
OF BEING COHESIVE. THIS COMES FROM BEING MOROCCAN
WHICH IS A PLACE WHERE LANGUAGE IS POLITICALLY CHARGED. I AM FRENCH EDUCATED A RESULT OF
FRENCH COLONIZATION. THERE IS THE MOROCCAN DIALECT. IN SCHOOL YOU LEARN CLASSICAL
ARABIC AND BURBUR LANGUAGES. IT INFLUENCES MY WORK IN LIKE
REFUSING TO STICK TO ONE. LOVING WHAT I CAN GET FROM THE
BACK AND FORTH OF EVERYTHING. SO THE WAY THE COLLAGE EXPRESSES
ITSELF IS ALSO IN TERMS OF THE IMAGE MAKING THAT
HAPPENS IN MY WORK. THERE'S SO MANY KINDS OF IMAGES. FOR EXAMPLE THE VIDEO OPENS YOU
SEE AT THE TOP LEFT WHICH IS A YOUTUBE VIDEO OF
FOOTBALL, A SOCCER GAME IN MOROCCO. AND SOMEONE SENT IT TO ME. I THOUGHT IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. THERE'S ALL THIS SMOKE. I USED THAT AND THEN IN ORDER TO
MOVE ON TO THE INTRO WITH THE CROCODILE I RECREATED
THAT STADIUM IN 3D AND THEN IT KIND OF JUST LIKE EXIST
IN THESE 2 SPACES. ONE THAT IS STAGED AND ONE THAT
IS SHAKY AND LOOKS YOUTUBE AND REAL. FOR EXAMPLE, HERE I NEEDED TO
HAVE A SHOT OF THE TROOPER QUARTERS ON THE ISLAND. AND I WAS -- I FILMED WOOD HALL
HOSPITAL IN BROOKLYN WHICH IS A VERY FAMOUS HOSPITAL. IT'S IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND
IT'S THIS HUGE MASSIVE BUILDING AND IT'S FAMOUSLY
DYSFUNCTIONAL. AND FAMOUSLY REPRESENTS THE
HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN AMERICA. IF YOU GET HURT OR SOMETHING AND
SOMEONE IS LIKE I'M TAKING YOU TO WOOD HALL YOU'RE
USUALLY SCARED. SO MANY PEOPLE I KNOW HAVE BEEN
TO THIS HOSPITAL. I FILMED THAT WITH MY IPHONE AND
ADDED ELEMENTS ON IT TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THE TROOPER
BASE. THERE IS A LOT OF LIVE ACTION
FOOTAGE THAT I FILMED AND THAT HAS SPECIAL EFFECTS ON IT. THAT'S ONE OTHER KIND OF
COLLAGE. SO YOU SEE THE NEON GLASSES AND
THE PHONE THAT COMES OUT OF THE EYE. AND THEN YEAH, THE TYPE OF
IMAGES ARE YOUTUBE ARCHIVAL, LIVE ACTION THAT HAS SPECIAL
EFFECT ON IT AND CGI. A LOT OF IMAGES WERE MADE FROM
SCRATCH FROM 3D PROGRAMS. NOW I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE
SCULPTURES. BECAUSE THAT IS ONLY HALF OF MY
WORK. WHEN I START WORKING ON A
PROJECT AND I'M EDITING THE VIDEO I USUALLY KNOW WHERE THE
FIRST SITUATION OF THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO GO. I GET FLOOR PLANS FROM THE
EXHIBITION SPACE AND MAKE A 3D OF THOSE FLOOR PLANS AND
BASED ON THAT AS I'M EDITING ON THE 3D PROGRAM I DRAW
SCULPTURES WHICH I KNOW WILL BECOME SCREENS WHERE I
KNOW I WILL BE PROJECTING DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF
THE VIDEO TO CREATE A MULTI-CHANNEL INSTALLATION. THE WAY THAT WORKS I USUALLY
KNOW THERE'S ONE VERSION OF THE VIDEO THAT IS THE MASTER
VERSION. WHICH IS WHAT YOU WOULD SEE IF
YOU'RE SEEING A SINGLE CHANNEL VERSION. AND THEN THERE IS USUALLY 5, 6,
7, 8 OTHER SCREENS IN THE SPACE. MOST OF THE TIMES YOU WOULD SEE
KIND OF THE SAME THING. OFTEN TIMES YOU HAVE DIFFERENT
IDEAS. A FOCUS ON SOMETHING ELSE. DETAIL. A LOT OF BUREAU WITH THE PARTY
SCENE. SOMEONE IS GETTING A DRINK HERE. SOMEONE IS DANCING THERE. THERE'S A LOT GOING ON. WHAT I AM INTERESTED IN WITH
INSTALLATIONS TO CREATE AN EXPERIENCE THAT IS PHYSICAL. I'M INTERESTED IN THE VISCERAL
ASPECT OF EXPERIENCING ART. SO YOU KNOW I'M ON THE COMPUTER
EDITING AND HAVING ACCESS TO SPACE AROUND ME IS SO
IMPORTANT TO REALLY DO SOMETHING OUT OF THE SPACE. TO CREATE AN EXPERIENCE YOU FEEL
IN YOUR BODY AND BEING INSIDE OF ALL THESE SCREENS. IT'S ALSO THIS IDEA OF WHEN YOU
ENTER AT FIRST YOU'RE OVERWHELMED. THERE'S SCREENS EVERYWHERE. YOU HAVE TO BE ACTIVE AND ALERT
AND KIND OF DEVELOP YOUR OWN MECHANISM FOR WATCHING
AND UNDERSTAND HOW TO FOLLOW THE STORY. WHICH HAPPENS PRETTY QUICKLY. HONESTLY WE ARE CONSTANTLY
NAVIGATING MULTIPLE SCREENS. IT'S THE IDEA OF THINK OF SINGLE
CHANNEL AS A FORMAT FOR VIDEO AND CINEMA AND HOW IT
CAN BE CHALLENGED BASED ON TODAY'S RELATIONSHIP TO
SCREEN. SO THIS FOR EXAMPLE IS A 3D OF
THE SPACE IN GENEVA WHERE I DID THE FIRST VERSION OF
THIS SHOW. AND THESE WERE KIND OF LIKE JUST
LIKE FIRST DRAWINGS OF PUTTING A LOT OF SCREENS IN THE
SPACE. THIS IS NOT AT ALL FINAL. THEN THIS WAS KIND OF LIKE THE
FINAL INSTALLATION. I'LL SHOW YOU PHOTOS LATER. I KNEW I WANTED TO HAVE ONE
SCREEN IN THE SPACE. THE ONE THAT SAYS CURVED SCREEN. I'LL SHOW YOU THIS ONE. I WANTED TO HAVE ONE SCREEN WITH
BLEACHERS. A SELF CONTAINED SCREEN INSIDE
THE REST OF THE INSTALLATION THAT WOULD ONLY BE
THERE FOR THE 3 MINUTE ANIMATION WHERE FIONA THE
CROCODILE EXPLAINS THE ISLAND AND WHERE YOU ARE. I KNEW I WANTED YOU TO WATCH
THAT THERE AND FOR IT TO STOP. AND THEN THE VIDEO ITSELF OF THE
PARTY STARTING TO START ON THE OTHER SCREENS. THEN YOU HAVE TO MOVE FROM ONE
SCREEN TO THE NEXT. THERE'S AN IMPOSED CHOREOGRAPHY. THOSE ARE MORE DETAILS OF
ELEMENTS. THERE'S THIS BIG WRAP AROUND
SCREEN. ON ONE OF THEM THERE'S THE MAIN
VERSION OF THE VIDEO WHERE YOU SEE THE SUBTITLES. YOU CAN FOLLOW THINGS. ON THE OTHER ONE THERE'S
DIFFERENT THINGS. WHAT YOU'RE SEEING ARE SCREEN
SHOTS FROM THE PDF'S I SENT THE INSTITUTION AT FIRST TO
START TALKING ABOUT THE INSTALLATION. MORE DETAILS HERE. I KNEW I WANTED A MAGNIFYING
GLASS USING PROJECTION METHOD WITH A PROJECTOR WHATEVER
WOULD GO BEHIND THE MAGNIFYING GLASS WOULD BE
MAGNIFIED. IT'S LITERAL. THIS ALLOWED ME TO PLAY WITH
SPACE. THIS IS WHY I LIKE DOING
INSTALLATIONS. IT'S PART OF THE COLLAGE I WAS
TALKING ABOUT EARLIER. WHATEVER TOOLS I CAN PLACE TO
GET TO A CERTAIN MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT A BIGGER POLITICAL
ISSUE I WILL USE. IF SPACE CAN ALSO HELP ME. YOU KNOW I'M EDITING WITH TIME. IF I CAN ALSO USE SPACE AS AN
EDITING DEVICE, WHY NOT? I FOUND THROUGH THESE PROCESSES
OF MAKING PLACES AND SCULPTURES FOR VIDEO THAT I LOVE
DRAWING SCULPTURES. THAT'S ANOTHER ELEMENT. I MADE THESE STOOLS. I ALWAYS DESIGN SITTING. I FIND IF PEOPLE CAN SIT AND BE
COMFORTABLE, THEY WILL WATCH THE VIDEO LONGER. IT WORKS. I LIKE THINKING ABOUT THAT WHEN
I'M WATCHING VIDEO IN SPACES WITH A LOT OF THINGS
GOING ON. IF I CAN SIT DOWN AND FOCUS I
WILL ENJOY IT MORE. I MADE THESE CHAIRS THAT HAD
LIGHT INSIDE OF THEM. WHEN YOU SIT DOWN YOU ECLIPSE
THE LIGHT. AND EVERYTHING HAD A CROCO
LETTER WHICH ENDED UP BEING GREY. I WILL SHOW YOU ITERATIONS OF
THIS EXHIBITION. THE FIRST ONE IS THE ONE THAT I
DREW 3D'S FOR. THIS IS THE SCREEN I WAS TALKING
ABOUT WITH THE BLEACHER WHERE YOU WATCHED THE
INTRO. IF YOU SEE WHILE THE INTRO IS
PLAYING IN THE BACK THERE WAS A SCREEN SAVER HAPPENING
WHICH WAS A MAP OF THE WORLD. IN REAL TIME YOU SEE
TELEPORTATION RISE GOING. THE TYPE OF SCREEN YOU HAVE IN
AIRPORTS. AND THAT'S FROM THE BACK OF THAT
BLEACHER SCREEN. THOSE ARE SCENES AT THE PARTY. YOU SEE THE MAGNIFYING CLASS. THESE ARE NOT THE MOST TELLING
PHOTOS ABOUT WHAT IT DOES. WHAT YOU SEE NOT IN THE BACK BUT
ON THE RIGHT, THE SCREEN THAT IS DENTED, THAT WAS
A MACRO VERSION OF A SCREEN WHERE I HAD THIS DENTED
SCREEN. ON ONE SIDE WAS PROJECTED A MAP
OF THE WORLD WITH TELEPORTATIONS. ON THE OTHER SIDE THERE WAS A
RED LIGHT. YOU WOULD SEE THE SCREEN. THE SCREEN WOULD BE REVEALED AS
YOU'RE WALKING. ON THE ONE SIDE YOU SEE A MAP. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT MAKES
SENSE. THE MAGNIFYING GLASS. THIS IS THE SECOND ITERATION OF
THE SHOW. THIS ONE WAS VERY SIMILAR
VERSION OF THE INSTALLATION. THIS WAS AT CLEARING WHICH IS MY
GALLERY IN BROOKLYN IN SEPTEMBER 2019. HERE THERE WASN'T ONE HUGE SPACE
WHERE EVERYTHING COULD FIT. THAT'S INTERESTING. THAT'S WHY I LIKE WORK THAT IS
SITE SPECIFIC. FOR EVERY ITERATION I DRAW A NEW
VERSION. SO IT'S A WORK THAT REALLY FEELS
DIFFERENT. HERE THAT FIRST BLEACHER SCREEN
WITH THE INTRO I PUT IN THE FIRST ROOM. THEN YOU HAD TO GO TO THE SECOND
ROOM TO SEE THE REST. WE MADE THAT CLEAR IS THROUGH
SOUND. HAVING THE SOUND -- SPEAKERS FOR
ONE ROOM AND THEN THE OTHER. YOU HEAR THE SOUND IN THE OTHER
ROOM ONCE IT'S TIME TO GO THERE. IT WORKED WELL. PEOPLE WOULD FOLLOW. THIS IS THAT ROOM YOU SEE. AND THEN BEHIND IS THE BIGGER
ROOM WITH THE VIDEO. THIS WAS ANOTHER ITERATION IN
2020 COLLECTION IN BERLIN. AND THAT WAS DIFFICULT SPACE. IT'S A SMALLER SPACE. A LONG SPACE AND IT HAS COLUMNS
IN THE MIDDLE. I THOUGHT I WOULD INCLUDE THE
COLUMNS. MAKE ONE OF THEM A SCREEN. THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE A PROBLEM
BUT A DECISION. THIS ONE LOOK READ DIFFERENT AND
MORE FRAGMENTED. I COULDN'T HAVE THE SCREENS TIED
TO EACH OTHER BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE THE SPACE. I ENDED UP REALLY LIKING THE
FRAGMENTED VERSION. I WOULDN'T HAVE DONE IT ON MY
OWN IF I DIDN'T HAVE TO THINK AROUND IT. THIS IS HOW IT LOOKS. THAT'S THE COLUMN I WAS TALKING
ABOUT. IT AFFECTS SO MUCH THE STORY
WHEN THINGS FEEL MORE FRAGMENTED. THIS IS A VIDEO WALK THROUGH OF
THAT SPACE. AND THAT'S IT. SO YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THIS TALK
WAS VERY FOCUSSED ON PROCESS. HOW DO I COME TO IDEAS? HOW DO I PUT THINGS TOGETHER? PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK MORE
QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT IF ANYTHING WAS UNCLEAR. I'M HAPPY TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE
IDEAS BEHIND THE VIDEOS AND ANYTHING YOU WANT TO
TALK ABOUT. >> MERIEM, THAT WAS AMAZING. I APPRECIATE YOU GOING DEEPLY
INTO A WORK. I HAVE QUESTIONS ESPECIALLY AS
WE THINK ABOUT NEXT WEEK WHEN WE START TO THINK ABOUT THE
STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE THINKING MORE AND MORE ABOUT
EXHIBITION DESIGN. AND IF YOU DON'T MIND, KC AND
EDGAR. I KNOW WE HAVE SOME RESPONSES
FROM KC AND EDGAR, I WONDER IF I CAN ASK YOU QUICKLY
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION DESIGN PRACTICE. IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE HOW MUCH
CONTROL YOU TAKE OF THE SPACE. RATHER THAN IT BEING SAY A
GALLERY INSTALLER OR A CURATOR OR SOME OTHER EXHIBITION
DESIGNER WHO IS MANIPULATING SPACE. THE SPACE ITSELF SEEMS TO BE
SOMETHING YOU'RE MANIPULATING. WE HEARD YOU REFER TO THE IDEA
OF EDITING WITH SPACE QUITE A BIT IN PAST WORK TOO. I WONDER IF YOU CAN TALK MORE
ABOUT WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT. AND HOW MUCH CONTROL OF SPACE
YOU TAKE. >> I GUESS YOU KNOW, THERE'S
DIFFERENT KINDS OF EXHIBITIONS. I DON'T HAVE MOST TIMES PIECES
AND THEN THE CURATOR HELPS ME DECIDE WHAT GOES WHERE. SO YOU USUALLY -- THIS IS ALL
ONE PIECE. AND THE -- THE PIECE IS LIKE --
YOU KNOW IT TAKES OVER THE SPACE. FOR ME DECIDING WHERE SOMETHING
GOES IS THE WORK AS AN ARTIST. TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. IT'S NOT SO MUCH EXHIBITION
DESIGN IT'S THE MAKING OF THE PIECE. EVERY TIME IT TRAVELS TO A NEW
SPACE I WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M CAPABLE -- IT WOULD BE
A MOMENT I WOULD BE ABLE TO INSTALL IT ALMOST LIKE
THE FIRST TIME. I WILL REDRAW EVERYTHING. FOR ME THE REASON FOR THAT IS
FIRST, YOU KNOW I THINK OBVIOUSLY MY WORK FUNCTIONS
WITHIN THE ART WORLD AND I HAVE THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PLACES
WHERE I'M SHOWING. OF WHAT IT MEANS TO SHOW IN AN
INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT OR A GALLERY CONTEXT. MY WORK IS NOT ABOUT THE ART
WORLD. IT'S NOT A WORK THAT'S
INTROSPECTIVE IN THAT WAY. FOR ME THE MORE SPACE YOU SEE
THE MORE IT BECOMES ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO MAKE ART. YOU KNOW IF YOU HANG A PAINTING
SO MUCH IS ABOUT ART AND THE HISTORY OF PAINTING AND
HISTORY OF HANGING A PAINTING. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY HISTORY OF
INSTALLATION. I LIKE TO CREATE A SPACE WHERE
IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING -- YOU FORGET ABOUT THAT SPACE. IT'S ABOUT TAKING YOU SOMEWHERE
ELSE IN A VERY ALMOST ILLUSTRATIVE WAY. THAT'S THE FIRST THING. THE SECOND THING IS THAT IT'S
REALLY FUN FOR ME TO -- THAT'S PART OF MY WORK. AND I DON'T HAVE A STUDIO. I DON'T WORK OUT A STUDIO. IT'S VERY MUCH ALONE ON A
LAPTOP. MOMENT WHERE I SHOOT. FOR THE CAPS SCENE WAS 3 DAYS. THAT'S A COLLABORATIVE MOMENT. IT'S SPECIAL EFFECTS AND
ANIMATING. HAVING THE SUPPORT OF THE ART --
BEING ABLE TO DO ART SHOWS. FOR ME, THE BEST THING ABOUT IT
I GET TO HAVE THE SUPPORT OF FABRICATORS AND GET
TO WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO CAN MAKE ANYTHING AND TRANSLATE
3D DRAWINGS INTO A SPACE THAT I CAN SIT IN AND
EXPERIENCE. THAT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PART
OF THE PROCESS. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ANSWERS THE
QUESTION. >> MORE THAN ANSWERS IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. KC AND EDGAR, I KNOW EACH OF YOU
HAD THOUGHTS THAT YOU WERE IN PROCESS OF PREPARING. MAYBE WE CAN GO IN ORDER. THEN WE'LL START TO TAKE MORE
QUESTIONS COMING IN FROM THE AUDIENCE. >> THANK YOU. I JUST HAVE A NUMBER OF
QUESTIONS. THIS IS SUCH A RICH PIECE OF
WORK. IT'S FOREGROUNDED A LOT OF THE
THEMES WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THROUGHOUT THE
CLASS. ESPECIALLY THIS DISCUSSION OF
SPACE VERSUS TIME. TALKING ABOUT FILM AND VIDEOS
MEDIA MAKE USE OF TIME. YOU'VE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB OF
FOREGROUNDING THE USE OF SPACE. AND HOW YOU SHOW BODIES MOVING
THROUGH THE SPACE FOR EXAMPLE. THE QUESTION I WANTED TO ASK IS
ABOUT TONE AND HUMOR IN YOUR PIECE. AS YOU NARRATED IT THIS WAS A
PIECE INSPIRED BY A CERTAIN FRUSTRATION OR ANGER
THINKING ABOUT THE DIFFERENT CRISES OF MIGRATION
AROUND 2016. YOU TREAT THIS WITH A LOT OF
VIBRANCY AND HUMOR. YOU DID MENTION THE ROLE OF JOY
AS AN ACT OF RESISTANCE. I WONDER IF YOU COULD SPEAK MORE
ABOUT THAT. AND ALSO JUST ABOUT HOW YOU SEE
THE RULE OF HUMOR AND PLAYFULNESS IN YOUR WORK MORE
GENERALLY. >> UH-HUH. FIRST I WANT TO SAY THAT I GUESS
LIKE FOR ME LIKE HUMOR OR LIKE THIS KIND OF MORE JOYOUS
APPROACH OF THINGS IS NOT ALWAYS A STRATEGY. LIKE A THOUGHT OUT STRATEGY. IT'S KIND OF LIKE MY DEFAULT. YOU KNOW, I THINK WE ALL HAVE A
DEFAULT OF HOW WE APPROACH THINGS. AND I THINK THAT IS OFTEN HOW I
NATURALLY FIRST ENTER SOMETHING. YEAH, AND I FIND SOMETIMES IT'S
HARDER EVEN TO LIKE APPROACH A PRESSING ISSUE IN A
JOYOUS WAY THAN IN A SAD WAY. AND I'M ALSO VERY MUCH WORKING
WITH THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN MY VIDEOS. SO I MEAN IT WAS A PARTY. IT WASN'T A FUNERAL. BUT I -- LIKE A LOT OF MY WORK
IS IN COLLABORATION OR KIND OF LIKE IN HONOR OF
PERSONALITIES I GREW UP AROUND THAT I FIND SO -- PART OF THIS
MYTHOLOGY IN MY BRAIN THAT I DON'T SEE ON THE MEDIA
WHEN A MOROCCAN WOMAN IS PORTRAYED NECESSARILY. I'M NOT JUST HERE TO DO
REPRESENTATION. THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M TRYING TO
SAY. THAT DOESN'T GO A LONG WAY. IT'S GENUINELY WHO I'M WORKING
WITH AND WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT AN ISSUE THAT COMES UP
THAT MAKES THE VIDEO. THIS IDEA OF CREATING A PARTY
WAS IMPORTANT. I DID THIS PLACE UP THAT WAS
POLITICALLY VERY CHARGED. WHAT WOULD MAKE ME GO IN
DIFFERENT TERRITORIES ARE THINGS I DON'T KNOW FROM
EXPERIENCE. I DON'T WANT TO GO PLACES THAT I
ACTUALLY DON'T KNOW. AND I WANT TO FOCUS ON ASPECTS
THAT I'M INTERESTED IN TALKING ABOUT ON THINGS THAT I
HAVE GENUINELY EXPERIENCED A LIFE OR HISTORY
WITH. AND THAT IS IMAGINING IN A
DIASPORA SITUATION HOW MEDIA CIRCULATES. THAT INTERESTS ME A LOT. IN GENERAL, IN THE WORLD. SEEING WHAT WOULD THE MUSIC OF
THE PARTY SOUND LIKE. HOW WOULD PEOPLE TALK ABOUT
THEIR ATTACHMENT TO MUSIC IN RELATIONSHIP TO HOME. AND THE IDEA OF A PLACE THAT YOU
LEFT. AND THOSE CONNECTIONS FOR ME
WERE INTERESTING AND THAT'S WHERE ELSE I PUT THE
FOCUS. >> THAT'S GREAT, THANK YOU. AND THE WORK IS SO -- I MEAN IT
IS FUNNY TO WATCH. AND JOYOUS. AND I THINK THAT REALLY COMES
ACROSS. >> HUMOR IS ALSO SURVIVAL. MY CHOICE OF HUMOR IS NEVER
BECAUSE I TAKE THINGS LIGHTLY. I'M VERY SERIOUS ABOUT WHAT I
DECIDE TO WORK ON. >> YEAH, AND I THINK IT COEXISTS
IN TENSION WITH A LOT OF THE OTHER THEMES IN YOUR
WORK. EDGAR, DID YOU WANT TO ASK. >> YEAH, I'M GOING ALONG WITH
WHAT YOU'RE JUST SHARING, MERIEM IS THINKING ABOUT FANTASY
AND THE WAY THAT FANTASY AS YOU WERE SAYING IN
YOUR PRESENTATION CREATES LIKE A CONTAINER TO ALLOW PEOPLE
TO ROLE PLAY AND JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT ROLE AS A
TOOL. AS LIKE A FORM. I'M INTERESTED IN MAYBE HAVING
YOU SPEAK ABOUT THAT. ESPECIALLY AS YOU SHARED THAT
COMFORT THAT COMES IN ROLE PLAY. BEING ABLE TO SHARE PARTS OF
OURSELVES THAT MAYBE WE DON'T SHARE. AND ALSO YOU WERE NAMING WHEN
YOU WERE THINKING ANY THE INSTALLATION YOU ALSO WANT THAT
COMFORT TO SIT WITH AND BE. AND MAYBE THE POSSIBILITY THAT
EXISTS WHEN YOU HAVE THAT SAFETY AND COMFORT. >> YEAH, THE -- THERE'S 2 LEVELS
OF ROLE PLAY ALMOST. IT'S LIKE I'VE FOUND THAT I'VE
MADE ALL MY WORK IN MOROCCO. ALL MY SHOWS HAVE BEEN CENTERED
AROUND THE VIDEO I SHOOT WITH EITHER FAMILY MEMBERS
OR THE PEOPLE IN MOROCCO I MEET. EVEN THOUGH A LOT OF PEOPLE IN
ART SPACES HAVE BEEN VERY OPEN, I DO FEEL LIKE
THERE'S ALWAYS -- IT'S KIND OF LIKE SO MUCH TIME I HAVE TO
SPEND EXPLAINING OR FEELING LIKE COVERING THE
CULTURAL SPECIFICITY BEFORE WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE CENTER OF
THE SUBJECT. I MADE A PIECE ABOUT 2 WOMEN WHO
WERE PERFORMERS. I WAS INTERESTED IN THE ELEMENT
OF PERFORMANCE. THEY SING A TRADITIONAL MOROCCAN
MUSIC. IS IT ABOUT MOROCCO? YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. WHENEVER YOU TALK ABOUT A
SUBJECT FROM A PLACE THAT IS NOT CONSIDERED THE CENTER, OFTEN
YOU THINK IT'S ABOUT THAT PLACE AND NOT ABOUT THE
SUBJECT ITSELF. SO I FEEL LIKE FOR ME DRESSING
UP MOROCCO AS A FUTURISTIC ISLAND OF THE CAPS IS
A SET UP. PEOPLE LESS CARE ABOUT YOUR
MOROCCAN. NO THIS IS THE ISLAND AND THAT'S
A MOROCCAN NEIGHBORHOOD. THAT'S THE ROLE PLAY ITSELF. THEN THERE'S THE PEOPLE IN THE
VIDEO. YOU'RE WITH FAMILY MEMBERS AND
YOU TELL HOME YOU'RE IN THE FUTURE AND YOU THROW A
PARTY. IT'S FUNNY.
IT'S FUN. IT'S FUNNY TO SEE HOW PEOPLE
REACT TO THAT. AN OVER ACTOR. THERE'S SOMETHING HONESTLY SO
FUN HAVING INTERACTIONS WITH AN AUNT YOU WOULD NEVER
CONNECT WITH. THAT'S SOMETHING VERY I THINK
TOUCHING ABOUT THAT. I'VE SEEN LIKE OAR - I FILMED A
LOT OF FAMILY MEMBERS AT THIS POINT. SOME THAT I'M CLOSE WITH AND
SOME NOT AS CLOSE TO. THERE'S SOMETHING TOUCHING ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE CAMERA. HAVING THAT FIRST LAYER OF
SAYING YOU'RE IN THE FUTURE AND YOU'RE IN A PLACE WHERE I
DON'T KNOW LIKE YOU ACTUALLY CAME TO THIS BIRTHDAY
PARTY BECAUSE YOU WANT TO SEE HOW THIS WOMAN LOOKED
WHEN SHE WAS 20. THAT'S THE GOSSIP. AND THEN YOU SEE PEOPLE -- I
THINK IT'S SO MUCH ABOUT WHO THEY ACTUALLY ARE. IT'S A CONTAINER TO MAKE THINGS
MORE PLAYFUL AND OPEN THEM UP. YEAH. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING
THAT. >> MY PLEASURE. >> THANK YOU MERIEM. WE HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS BREWING
IN THE Q AND A AND THINGS IMPLICIT IN THE CHAT THAT
RELATE TO WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY STARTED TO TALK ABOUT. MAYBE JUST AN OPENER QUESTION
FROM KELLEY TAN WHO'S SAYING WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR
INSPIRATION. I THINK IN SOME WAYS YOU STARTED
TO ANSWER THAT. IN MY INTRO I WAS WONDERING HOW
MUCH DO YOU TALK ABOUT OR CLAIM MOROCCAN OR POST
COLONIAL IDENTITY OR THOSE TYPES OF THEMES BEING ACTIVE FOR
YOU VERSUS HOW MUCH YOU WANT INSPIRATION FROM
DIFFERENT PLACES. I WONDER YOU WERE SO SECURE IN
HOW YOU DESCRIBED THIS PROJECT. YOU SAID THAT I KNEW THAT I
WANTED THERE TO BE A PARTY. I KNEW THAT I WANTED THEM TO SIT
HERE. I KNEW THAT I WANTED THEM TO DO
THAT. MAYBE EVEN A STEP BEFORE THAT,
HOW DID YOU KNOW? WHERE DID THE INSPIRATION COME
FROM AS YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THAT. >> YEAH. I THINK -- I THINK I UNDERSTAND
YOUR QUESTION IN LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU SAID POST
COLONIAL OR LIKE THIS BIG -- THIS BIG THINGS THAT
DEFINE OTHER THINGS. LIKE THESE GENERAL KEY WORDS
THAT HAVE BEEN USEFUL TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD WE LIVE IN
AND TO POSITION OURSELVES, I ALWAYS TEND TO
QUESTION WHAT THEY ARE. YEAH, THIS IS TRUE. MOROCCO WAS COLONIZED. AND THIS IS TRUE THAT RIGHT NOW
THERE IS WAY MORE OF A PLATFORM TO TALK ABOUT IT THAN
THERE USED TO BE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. AND THAT IT DOES -- IT SOUNDS
IMPORTANT. I'M LIKE IT SOUNDS IMPORTANT. IS IT IMPORTANT TO ME GENERALLY? OR WOULD IT BE SOMETHING THAT
WOULD SOUND LEGIT IF I MADE A WORK ABOUT IT. I THINK THAT DISTINCTION IS
REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME. WHAT IS A SINCERE INTEREST AND
WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT FEELS RELEVANT AS A CURRENCY OF
RELEVANCE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S RELEVANT. AND SO THAT'S WHY I LIKE TO
START WITH WHAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING I GENUINELY WOULD BE
SO EXCITED TO DO. BECAUSE I THINK WITH THAT IF I
FOLLOW THAT INTUITION YOU ALWAYS COME BACK TO THINGS
THAT MATTER TO YOU, THAT ARE POLITICAL. YOU CAN'T ESCAPE YOUR POLITICAL
EXISTENCE. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU SAID THE PARTY,
HOW DID I THINK ABOUT THAT. HONESTLY LIKE I SAID I HAD A
PRODUCTION BUDGET FOR VIDEO. I WAS LIKE WELL I DO EVERYTHING. I DON'T REALLY NEED HELP UNLESS
I WANT A BETTER ANIMATOR OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. WHAT IF I CREATED A DREAM
SCENARIO TO FILM INSIDE OF. I ALWAYS FILM INSIDE OF PARTIES
WHEN I'M IN MOROCCO. FOR ME IT WAS SO MUCH FUN FOR ME
TO CREATE A SITUATION WHERE I KNOW SO MANY INTERESTING
INTERACTIONS HAPPENING. NOW THE THINGS THAT I'M MISSING
THAT I WOULD ADD IN POST PRODUCTION TO MAKE IT FEEL
LIKE IT'S PART OF THE WORLD OF THE VIDEO, I OCCUR
START WITH THOSE. I CAN REARRANGE THE LIVING ROOM
SO IT'S BETTER FOR FILMING. I CAN ASK EVERYONE TO WEAR
GREEN. THAT WOULD BE FUN. OBVIOUSLY NOT LIKE RECKLESS FUN. BUT FUN WITHIN AN IDEA OF WHAT
I'M INTERESTED IN. YEAH. >> I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU SAY TOO
THAT YOU START OUT WITH WHAT WOULD BE FUN AND GENUINELY
APPEALING AND YOU KNOW THAT ALL OF THE OTHER STUFF
COMES. ALL OF THE OTHER THINGS IN TERMS
OF WHATEVER MIGHT BE GLOBAL THEMES AND APPARENTLY
RELEVANT THEMES STILL WILL BE THERE. >> THE ONES THAT WILL BE THERE
ARE THE ONES THAT ARE IN THE FABRIC OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
ALL THESE PEOPLE MEET FOR A PARTY. AND WHAT THEY TALK ABOUT THE
THINGS AT STAKE ARE POLITICAL. SO YEAH, IT'S LIKE TRUSTING. ALSO NOT FEELING LIKE IT HAS TO
BE POLITICALLY RELEVANT. BEING LIKE -- I FEEL LIKE
THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING INTERESTING WHEN YOU WORK WITH
REAL LIFE. WHICH IS WHY I'VE BEEN LOVING --
I DO ANIMATION BUT I'VE BEEN LOVING ROOTING IN
DOCUMENTARY. IT'S ALWAYS THINGS YOU WOULD NOT
BE ABLE TO WRITE OR COME UP WITH. >> THAT WAS AMAZING IN THE
BEGINNING WHEN YOU STARTED TALKED ABOUT DOCUMENTARY AS
SOMETHING YOU WERE INFLUENCED BY RESISTING AT THE
SAME TIME. >> I HAD A FOLLOW-UP TO THIS
QUESTION OF INFLUENCES AND THINKING ABOUT YOUR AESTHETIC
INFLUENCES. IT SEEMS THIS IS A PIECE THAT IS
VERY MUCH MADE BY SOMEONE OF THE MILLENNIAL
GENERATION WHO HAS GROWN UP WITH THIS AESTHETIC OF SOCIAL
MEDIA, FILTERS, OF MULTIPLE SCREENS. I'M WONDERING TO WHAT EXTENT ALL
OF THAT TECHNOLOGY, MOBILE PHONE FIST FOR EXAMPLE,
THINGS LIKE INSTAGRAM FILTERS OR SNAPCHAT THAT YOU SEE
THAT AS A LANGUAGE THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH. >> I THINK MY RELATIONSHIP TO
MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY VERY MUCH ONE THAT IS LIKE BEING A
MILLENNIAL. I ALSO DON'T GIVE IT TOO MUCH
THOUGHT IN A WAY. BECAUSE I REALLY ALWAYS CARE
ABOUT MY WORK BEING SO LIKE HAVING AN ENTRY POINT FOR
EVERYONE. SO IT'S NOT AGIST. YOU KNOW LIKE SOMEONE WHO MAYBE
DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME RELATIONSHIP TO SOCIAL MEDIA OR
SOMETHING ELSE COULD ALSO FIND INSPIRATION IN IT. IT HAS TO DO WITH THAT LOGIC I
WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER. THAT REALLY THE STORY IS THE
MOST IMPORTANT. AND IF SOMETHING IS TO BE
BEAUTIFUL FOR THE STORY TO WORK BETTER THEN I'LL MAKE IT
BEAUTIFUL. IF SOMETHING NEEDS TO FEEL LIKE
A SHAKY YOUTUBE VIDEO TO MAKE YOU FEEL IT CAME FROM A
REAL PLACE AND [HA-ERPBT] BEEN STAGED. IT REALLY HAS TO DO WITH
INTENTION. THIS IS A SCI-FI PROJECT. WHEN THERE ARE SPECIAL EFFECTS
IT'S A JOKE ON A FUTURE AESTHETIC. I CAN'T MAKE IT LOOK LIKE
ARRIVAL. BUT ALSO DO I WANT TO? I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ANSWERS THE
QUESTION. IT'S ALSO LIMITED TO WHAT I'M
CAPABLE OF DOING. >> CERTAINLY SOMETHING LIKE HOME
VIDEOS WHICH IS ANOTHER AESTHETIC THROUGH THIS PIECE IS
MUCH OLDER THAN SOCIAL MEDIA. THERE'S CLEARLY MANY LAYERS OF
-- >> YEAH, I THINK SO. >> YEAH, AND I REALLY JUST
WANTED TO SHARE I APPRECIATE HOW YOU'RE -- IN A LOT OF WHAT
YOU'RE SHARING YOU CENTER THE EMOTION, THE
EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE AND ALSO THE ACCESSIBILITY. GOING WITH MY EMOTIONAL
EXPERIENCE I'M TOUCHED BY ONE OF THE QUESTIONS IN THE Q AND A. SOMEONE SAYING FOR A YOUNG
ARTIST IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE HOW YOU MAKE OR DREAM OF
SOMETHING AT THIS SCALE OF WORKING WITH THESE MULTI-CHANNEL
SCULPTURAL INSTALLATIONS. HOW DID YOU ENVISION GOING DOWN
THAT PATH BEFORE YOU HAD THE EXPERIENCE THE TRUST OF
INSTITUTIONS TOP FUND THESE PROJECTS? ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SHARE. >> THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION
THAT I COMPLETELY IDENTIFY WITH AND UNDERSTAND. BUT I THINK WHAT I NEVER THESE
INSTALLATIONS STARTED HAPPENING AND EVOLVING AS I WAS
GROWING. I NEVER -- IT WASN'T LIKE I WAS
ENVISIONING SOMETHING AND WORKED TOWARDS IT. YOU KNOW I MADE PIECES AND THEN
SLOWLY THE SCALE CHANGED OR THE TECHNIQUE
CHANGED. THE FIRST PIECE I EVER MADE THAT
WAS KIND OF LIKE THE ORIGIN PIECE FOR THIS TYPE OF
INSTALLATION THAT HAS BECOME THE MAIN LANGUAGE OF MY
WORK SOMEHOW WAS A 2 CHANNEL PIECE. AND IT WAS THESE STYROFOAM
SCREENS -- WHAT I'M SAYING IS YOU CAN DO A LOT PRETTY
AFFORDABLE AND ON YOUR OWN. START WITH SCREENS CUT UP AND
PILED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER MULTIPLE SCREENS. AND THEN 2 PROJECTORS AND IT HAD
VIDEO ON BOTH SIDE. AND THEN AFTER THAT I REALIZED
THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MORE OF THESE SCREENS. AND SLOWLY LIKE -- NOT LIKE
EVERY PROJECT IT'S LIKE MORE. NOT AT ALL. IT'S DIFFERENT. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE SCALE. THIS IS PRETTY -- THE MOST
AMBITIOUS SCALE WISE BECAUSE OF THE INITIAL SPACE I WAS
GIVEN. SO IT -- YEAH. BUT I THINK THAT EVEN ALSO LIKE
A BIGGER SCALE KEEPING A DIY APPROACH ABOUT A LOT OF
THE THINGS -- WHEN I SAY DIY BEING REALLY HANDS ON. I DON'T FABRICATE. I WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW PEOPLE
FABRICATE. I THINK THAT IS ALWAYS THE MOST
FUN AND THE BEST WAY TO KNOW HOW YOUR WORK FUNCTIONS. YEAH, SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT
ANSWERED THE QUESTION. >> DEFINITELY THINKING ABOUT
SHOWING YOUR ITERATIONS. YOU'RE RESPONDING TO THE SITE,
THE SPACE AND THE LOCATION. AND ALSO SOMETIMES LIMITATIONS
CAN OPEN UP POSSIBILITIES TOO. REALLY APPRECIATE YOU SHARING
THAT. AS AN ARTIST THAT WORKS IN THE
DIGITAL REALM THERE IS A CONVERSATION THAT HAPPENS IN
BETWEEN BOTH. AND I APPRECIATE SEEING HOW THAT
SHOWS UP IN YOUR WORK. >> THANK YOU AND I'LL SAY THIS. FOR ME THE STARTING POINT IS THE
VIDEO. AND THOSE ARE FULLY MADE ARE
LIKE 80% HAVE BEEN MADE JUST BY LIKE FILMING WITH A
CAMERA. WATCHING TUTORIALS. LEARNING LIKE WHICH -- YOU KNOW
LIKE THEY ARE 0 BUDGET IN A WAY. THING. >> THANK YOU FOR THAT -- THE
ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION. IT'S AN INSPIRING QUESTION. YOU CAN DO A LOT WITH A LITTLE. WE HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS
THAT ARE SORT OF RELATED I THINK IN TERMS OF ASKING TO
THINK ABOUT FUTURIST THEMES OR SCIENCE FICTION
THEMES. WE STARTED OUR SERIES THINKING
ABOUT AFRO FUTURISM. WE'RE GOING TO FINISH THE SERIES
THINKING ABOUT AFRO FUTURISM. I USED THE PHRASE POST COLONIAL
FUTURISM IN INTRODUCING YOU. I'M WONDERING IF YOU COULD TALK
ABOUT THE RELATION OF SPECULATIVE FUTURISM. >> YES I MEAN I OBVIOUSLY, YOU
KNOW, I THINK, I CAN'T REALLY TALK ABOUT AFRO FUTURISM. THAT IS A VERY DIFFERENT HISTORY
-- VERY DIFFERENT RACIAL HISTORY. AND IT HAS ORIGINS THAT ARE VERY
AS MOROCCAN I'M NOT PART OF. BUT I DO THINK SOMETHING THAT
I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT A LOT IS THE IDEA OF JUST USING
IMAGINATION AS THE MOST REBELLIOUS ACT IN TERMS OF
REPRESENTATION OF A PLACE. THERE'S SO MUCH DEPICTION AND
ASPECT OF NORTH AFRICA BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I KNOW BEST
OR MAYBE THE ARAB WORLD AS THE DEPICTIONS ARE THE SAME. HAVE THIS SOCIAL APPROACH. YOU KNOW THE DOCUMENTARY AND
LIKE KIND OF LIKE IDEA OF REPORTAGE REALISM OF WHAT'S
HAPPENING. I THINK THAT'S LIKE THE IDEA OF
THE LUXURY RECEIVE ABSTRACTION AND THAT BEING TIED
TO REALITY IN A WAY IS TO ME SO IMPORTANT. SO THOSE ARE SOME THINGS THAT
ARE IMPORTANT TO ME THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK IN THIS IDEA
OF POST COLONIAL COUNTRIES ARE THE CENTER. >> THERE'S ANOTHER QUESTION I
THINK IT'S FROM -- IS IT FROM ANIKA WHO IS ASKING ABOUT
-- LET ME JUST BE SURE. YEAH, IT IS FROM ANIKA ABOUT
WHETHER YOU EVER FEEL THAT AMERICANS AND MOROCCANS
CORRECTLY INTERPRET YOUR WORK OR MISINTERPRET YOUR WORK. THIS QUESTION CAME UP LAST
THURSDAY WHEN SHIRIN NESHAT MISINTERPRETED FROM AN IRANIAN
PERSPECTIVE AND WESTERN PERSPECTIVE AND NOT FEELING
FULLY UNDERSTOOD WHY EITHER. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A DYNAMIC
THAT YOU SEE. ANY OF YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT. >> YEAH, I MEAN I TRY NOT TO
THINK JUST AMERICAN AND MOROCCAN BECAUSE THEN IT'S NEVER
ENDING. YOU KNOW LIKE I ALREADY LIKE
EVERYTHING IS LIKE IN RELATION TO HOW I POSITION
MYSELF IN BETWEEN BOTH AND LIKE I WAS FRENCH EDUCATED. THAT'S ANOTHER CULTURAL. I THINK IT'S LIBERATING TO THINK
THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE IN BETWEEN. THE REALITY IS EVERYONE IS GOING
TO UNDERSTAND MY WORK SO DIFFERENTLY AND MAYBE THAT'S
OKAY. THERE ISN'T ONE RIGHT WAY OF
INTERPRETING IT. IT HAS A CORD THAT IS ABOUT
STORY. SO I THINK -- THE ONLY THING
THAT BOTHERS ME WHEN IT'S ALL REDUCED TO ONLINE IDENTITY. I HOPE I'M OFFERING MORE THAN
JUST A DISPLAY OF IDENTITY. YEAH, THAT'S LIKE THE MOST
IMPORTANT PART. >> KC, OR EDGAR DO YOU SEE
SOMETHING ELSE OR WANT TO POSE MORE? >> I HAVE A QUESTION FROM
CHRISTOPHER ABOUT THE MEDIA THAT YOU WORK IN. CHRISTOPHER ASKED SPECIFICALLY
ABOUT VR, WHETHER YOU WOULD CONSIDER USE VR, ALLOWING
OTHERS TO BE PART OF THE PARTY THROUGH THEIR OWN
DEVICES. I KNOW YOU WORKED IN SITE
SPECIFIC FORMAT BUT ALSO PRODUCED WORKS FOR DISTRIBUTION
ON INSTAGRAM FOR EXAMPLE. I [WO-RPD] WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS
ARE ABOUT USING THESE VERY DISTINCT MEDIA FOR YOUR
PROJECTS? >> YEAH, I MEAN - ALTHOUGH I
HAVEN'T BEEN NECESSARILY INTERESTED IN VR. I THINK I WOULD DO VR IT IF A
PROJECT THAT MAKES COMPLETE SENSE AS A VR PROJECT
CAME TO ME YOU KNOW. YOU KNOW, I'M ACTUALLY NOT SO
INTERESTED IN TECHNOLOGY IN THIS WAY. I DO USE VIDEO. BUT YEAH, IT'S NOT A GOAL. AND I ALSO THINK THE PROBLEM
WITH VR IS I LIKE VR AT HOME. VR IN A MUSEUM TO ME IS A
STRANGE THING TO UNDERSTAND BECAUSE IT'S NOT -- IN A MUSEUM
YOU'RE AROUND PEOPLE THERE'S A COMMUNAL EXPERIENCE. I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND THE
SOLUTION TO. AND I DO THINK THAT VR IS SO NEW
THAT SOMETIMES THE TECH ASPECT TAKES SO MUCH SPACE. AND IT'S NOT WHAT MY WORK HAS
BEEN ABOUT KIND OF. FOR THAT REASON I NEVER HAVE. AND THEN YOU WERE SAYING OTHER
TECHNOLOGIES. LIKE YOU WERE SAYING INSTAGRAM. >> HOW YOU CHOOSE. OR WHAT YOU SEE AS THE DIFFERENT
AFFORDANCES OF MAKING SOMETHING FOR INSTAR GRAM THAT
YOU'RE WATCHING SIMILAR TO VR. IT'S AN ISOLATED EXPERIENCE
LOOKING AT SOMETHING ON YOUR PHONE VERSUS THE IMMERSIVE
SPACE OF THE GALLERY. >> TO ME THAT'S THE IDEAL WAY OF
SHOWING WORK. IT'S NOT ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE. INSTAGRAM FOR ME IS CONVENIENT. THAT'S WHERE MOST OF MY
COMMUNITY IS. I WILL SHARE SOMETHING THERE. I DON'T LIKE THE PLATFORM FOR
WHAT IT IS. I'M NOT INTERESTED IN THINKING
ABOUT IT IN A WAY. IT HAS OUT OF CONVENIENCE
BECAUSE YES THAT'S JUST THE PLATFORM THAT I HAVE THAT I USE. BUT I LIKE TO SHARE LIKE NEWS. YEAH, I ALSO LIKE THE IDEA THAT
WE CAN'T SEE EVERYTHING ON THE PHONE. THESE VIDEOS ARE 30 MINUTES OR
MORE. AND I LIKE -- YEAH -- YEAH, I
THINK IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE I DO WORK WITH SPECIAL
EFFECT AND 3D ANIMATION VIDEO. I DO REALLY THINK OF MYSELF. I DON'T THINK OF THOSE LIKE I
HAVE A RELATIONSHIP TO TECHNOLOGY. I'M USING THIS AS TOOLS IN THE
SAME THAT SOMEONE WILL USE 3D TO MAKE A MOVIE OR
SOMETHING. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE TOOLS
THEMSELVES. SO I OFTEN GET WRAPS UP IN NEW
MEDIA TECHNOLOGY CATEGORY. ASKED MANY TIMES ABOUT VR AND
EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE --
HASN'T MADE SENSE TO ME. YEAH. >> I THINK I GUESS GOING ALONG
WITH THAT I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN YOUR -- THE WAY
THAT YOU USE KIND OF THE LANGUAGE OF VIDEO IN YOUR WORK. AND IN A WAY PERSONALLY HOW YOU
RESIST CERTAIN LIKE -- INTERPRETATIONS OF YOUR WORK. ESPECIALLY SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD
CERTAIN IDENTITY LENSES PLACED ON MY WORK. I UNDERSTAND THAT FEELING OF
WANTING TO RESIST AND USE ABSTRACTION IN A WAY. I WANTED TO SEE IF YOU COULD
SPEAK TO THAT. IF WHILE WORKING WITH THE
LANGUAGE OF VIDEO IF THAT'S ALSO PART OF THE STRATEGY IS TO
RESIST THIS COLLAPSING OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROJECT. I THINK ALSO OPENING UP TO
UNDERSTAND OTHER POLITICAL EXPERIENCES THROUGH ANOTHER LENS
THAT SOMETIMES WE MAY BE DESENSITIZED TO OR FEEL WE
HAVE A CERTAIN UNDERSTANDING OF -- >> CAN YOU SAY THAT LAST PART
AGAIN PLEASE. >> I GUESS KIND OF ALSO THINKING
ABOUT RESISTING THE WAY THAT CERTAIN POLITICAL
PHENOMENON GET COLLAPSED ALSO. >> YEAH, YEAH. >> THERE'S THAT TOO. >> YEAH -- YEAH, AND I SEE THAT
-- WHAT IS IT ABOUT TECHNOLOGY THERE'S A SIMILAR
ATTITUDE. YEAH, I JUST -- I JUST IT'S JUST
KIND OF LIKE THE SAME APPROACH OF TRYING TO NOT BE --
TO QUESTION EVERY DECISION. JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING'S
AVAILABLE LIKE VR OR SOMETHING IS JUDGED RELEVANT OR TIME
SENSITIVE. WHY WOULD I HAVE TO GO THERE? UNLESS I NEED TO FOR WHAT I'M
TRYING TO DO. REALLY JUST HAVE A GUIDING
PRINCIPLE. NOT TAKING PLEASURE IN SAYING NO
TO AN IDEA. NOT TAKING PLEASURE IN RESISTING
SOMETHING. THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO WORK. THAT'S WHAT WORKS FOR ME. IT'S A SIMPLE ANSWER THAT'S
WHAT'S IN COMMON BETWEEN BOTH. >> I APPRECIATE HAVING A GUIDING
PRINCIPLE AND ALSO YOU MENTIONED INTUITION A LOT. THAT DEFINITELY FEELS LIKE IT'S
A BIG PART OF WHAT GUIDES THE WORK. >> THAT'S RIGHT. YOU CAN'T ALWAYS FOLLOW
INTUITION. IT CAN BE FRUSTRATING FOR
SOMEONE TO SAY FOLLOW INTUITION AND HAVE FUN. I TRY TO GO BACK TO THOSE SPACES
WHEN I CAN. >> THERE'S A QUESTION THAT WAS
POSED BY ERIC VERY EARLY ON ABOUT A MOMENT -- A MOMENT
ACTUALLY WHEN YOU WERE PRESENTING AN INSTALLATION OF
THE PIECE YOU USED THE WORD FRAGMENTATION TO TALK ABOUT
HOW THE PIECE WAS REORGANIZED AS IF FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN A MORE FRAGMENTED WAY. IF YOU WANTED TO SAY MORE ABOUT
WHAT YOU MEANT ABOUT THAT. I DON'T KNOW WHO THE PERSON WHO
IS WHO DANCES -- AN AUNT OR FAMILY MEMBER WHO DANCES
AND ENDS UP ACROSS MULTIPLE SCREENS. HOW YOU DECIDE DECISIONS ABOUT
FRAGMENTATION. I'LL ATTACH A LAST QUESTION HERE
FROM SASHA GREYSON ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU MIGHT
EVER BE ABLE TO IMAGINE A FULLY SPATIALIZED EXPERIENCE
ON INSTAGRAM OR WHETHER YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT SINGLE
CHANNEL WHEN IT COMES TO SHARING THINGS ONLINE. ACTUALLY THOSE ARE 2 REALLY
DIFFERENT QUESTIONS. >> YEAH, THE FRAGMENTATION I
MEANT THAT BECAUSE THE SPACE WAS SMALLER. 2 SCREENS THAT WOULD BE NEXT TO
EACH OTHER FROM ONE SCREEN WERE LITERALLY. INSTEAD OF HAVING THIS WRAP
AROUND THAT YOU CAN SEE FROM ONE ANGLE THINGS WERE
SEPARATE. IN MOST SCREENS YOU HAVE THE
SAME THINGS GOING ON. THERE'S THE EFFECT OF
MULTIPLICATION. SOMETIMES SOMETHING ELSE IS
SHOWN. SO LIKE LET'S SAY MAYBE THE MAIN
FOCUS IS ON ME TALKING TO YOU RIGHT NOW. YOU WOULD HAVE THAT ON THE MAIN
SCREEN. MAYBE ON THE SIDE SCREEN YOU
HAVE THE VIEW OUTSIDE MY WINDOW. IF SOMETHING HAPPENS OUTSIDE MY
WINDOW THAT INFORMS WHAT I'M TELLING JUST LIKE THE
MINUTE SOMETHING STARTS HAPPENING. IT INFORMS THE VIEWER. WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO LOOK. THAT'S WHAT I'M ALSO INTERESTED
IN. KEEPING THE PERSON ACTIVE. INSTAGRAM, I -- AGAIN, IF I
COULD SHARE MY WORK WITH THE SAME COMMUNITY WITHOUT GOING
THROUGH INSTAGRAM THAT WOULD BE AMAZING. I DON'T WANT TO PUT ANY THOUGHT
TOWARDS ANYTHING ON INSTAGRAM. ALSO FOR ME THE IDEA OF THE
EMERSION IS THAT IT'S PHYSICALLY THERE. YOU FEEL PEOPLE -- MOSTLY AFTER
THIS YEAR OF COVID I REALLY DON'T LOVE THE DIGITAL
SPACE IN THAT WAY. I LIKE THE IDEA FOR THINGS TO BE
ABLE TO BE SHARED LIKE THAT. AND IF IT'S -- YOU KNOW IT'S NOT
POSSIBLE TO DO THIS INSTALLATION EVERYWHERE. IF IT'S A SINGLE CHANNEL THAT
CAN BE PROJECTED SOMEWHERE, PEOPLE ARE LIKE OAR -
I THINK IT'S ALWAYS BETTER. BUT SO I'M KIND OF LIKE -- I
HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT. I'M SURE SOMEONE WILL AND THAT
WOULD BE EXCITING. >> YEAH, AND YOU ACTUALLY JUST
BROUGHT UP WHAT HAS BEEN A HUGE THEME THIS ENTIRE SERIES
WHICH IS THE COVID EFFECT OF HOW WE'RE TAKING MEDIA
ART, HOW WE TAKE IN VIDEO ART. WHICH IS IN THIS PARTICULAR SORT
OF SILVER LINING OF THE FACT THAT WE SEE SO MUCH ON
SCREEN THAT HAS BEEN A BOON TO VIDEO ART. SO MUCH INTERESTED IN IT. AND HOW MUCH CLARITY WE WOULD
LIKE TO BE IN SHARED SPACE TO VIEW THESE WORKS. >> ABSOLUTELY YEAH. >> IF THERE ISN'T. KC OR EDGAR DO YOU HAVE A LAST
QUESTION THERE. >> I HAVE A LAST ONE. AND THEN I THINK EDGAR HAS A
GREAT QUESTION IN THE Q AND A THAT WE WANT TO ASK. I'LL ASK. THIS FOLLOWS UP ON WHAT SHANNON
JUST SAID ABOUT THE PANDEMIC. THIS PIECE FEELS VERY DIFFERENT
NOW THAN IT DID OVER A YEAR AGO AND WHEN YOU FIRST MADE
IT. ON THE ONE HAND THE IDEA OF
HAVING A PARTY WITH YOUR FAMILY AND PERSON FEELS
DIFFERENT NOW. ALSO A CAUSE OF CELEBRATION. BUT THESE THEMES OF
DEMATERIALIZATION OR OF THE SELF COMMUNICATING THROUGH A SCREEN
OR BEING FILTERED THROUGH A SCREEN, YEAH, AS WELL
AS THESE THEMES OF GLOBALIZATION AND MOVEMENT AND
LACK THEREOF FEEL PERHAPS EVEN MORE PRESSING NOW
BUT ALSO DIFFERENT. I'M WONDERING IF YOU SEE THIS
PIECE DIFFERENTLY NOW A YEAR LATER AFTER QUARANTINING? >> I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT IT
BECAUSE I'VE SEEN IT SO MANY TIMES FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS. I ALMOST DON'T HAVE THE DISTANCE
ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO WATCH IT. I WOULD HAVE TO NOT WATCH IT FOR
5 YEARS TO BE ABLE TO SEE IT. BUT IT'S -- IT'S COOL TO HEAR
YOU SAY THAT. IT MAKES SENSE YEAH. >> I HAVE -- I HAVE TO AGREE. WHEN WE WENT TO SO MANY ZOOM
PARTIES THAT START TO LEAVE ONE FEELING HOLLOW. WHAT MIGHT IT BE TO USE YOUR
IDIOM TO RETHINK WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE A SCREEN PARTY. IT'S INTERESTING YEAH. >> YEAH. >> YEAH, AND I'D LOVE TO ASK THE
LAST QUESTION HERE FROM MEGAN IN IN THE Q AND A. AND THIS IS A MOMENT FOR YOU IF
YOU WANT TO FANTASIZE. MEGAN WANTS TO KNOW WHO WOULD
YOU LIKE TO COLLABORATE BIOLOGY, TELEPORTATION SCIENCE,
LITERATURE, JOURNALISM. AND THAT'S MEGAN STINEMAN SHE'LL
MAKE IT HAPPEN. >> HI MEGAN. SO YEAH, I THINK A LOT. I WOULD LIKE TO DO A LOT OF
COLLABORATION WITH PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE FIELDS. MAYBE BEFORE IT'S A
COLLABORATION THERE'S SO MANY CONVERSATIONS THAT WOULD BE
INTERESTING TO HAVE WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE SPECIALIZED IN
THOSE FIELDS. TELEPORTATION SCIENCE, MEGAN,
SOMEONE WHO WORKS IN QUANTUM PHYSICS. I LOVE THE IDEA OF -- THERE'S
THE INFORMATION ASPECT LIKE LEARNING THINGS. BUT I LOVE THE WAYS OF -- THE
METHODOLOGIES OF OTHER DISCIPLINES AND WHAT YOU CAN
LEARN FROM SOMEONE ELSE'S METHODOLOGY AND FOR YOUR OWN
METHODOLOGY. WHEN YOU DO THE VIDEO EDITING
THERE'S THE WORK FLOW. WHERE TO START AND WHAT THE WORK
FLOW IS. EVERY YEAR IT SOUNDS CHEESY I
DEVELOP MY WORK FLOW. AND I DO FEEL IT WOULD BE COOL
TO LEARN FROM OTHER PEOPLE'S. AND YEAH, I ALWAYS HAD LIKE THE
FANTASY ONE DAY TALK TO A BIOLOGIST AND SEE WHAT
HAPPENS. BUT THEN MORE AND MORE I
REALIZED THAT MY -- I FEEL I'VE BEEN SAYING THAT A LOT. I LOVE TELLING STORIES. I FEEL IT WOULDN'T BE A
COLLABORATION LIKE OTHER ARTISTS HAVE DONE. WHERE THERE IS ACTUALLY A BY
LOGICAL EXPERIMENT THAT IS AN ART PIECE. THAT SOUNDS EXCITING. I FEEL IN A WAY IT WOULDN'T TAKE
THIS FORM. AT LEAST WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW. IT WOULD BE KIND OF INFORMING A
CHARACTER OR STORY WRITING. THAT WOULD BE COOL. >> WELL, MERIEM, THE COURSE THAT
WE'RE TEACHING WHICH THIS LECTURE SERIES SITS INSIDE
IS A COURSE FOR STUDENTS FROM ALL MAJORS. MANY OF THEM FRESHMEN
UNDECLARED. MANY ARE PHYSICS MAJORS, DATA
SCIENCE MAJORS, ANTHROPOLOGISTS. >> AMAZING. >> YOU'RE ALREADY IN
COLLABORATION WHETHER YOU KNEW
IT OR NOT. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR SHARING
YOUR TIME WITH US. SHARING YOUR PERSPECTIVE. FOR BEING SO FRANK AND OPEN. AND IMAGINATIVE EVEN IN THE
COURSE OF JUST OUR 90 MINUTES TOGETHER. IT WAS A REALLY REALLY SPECIAL
EVENT FOR US. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME AND ALL
THE QUESTIONS AND EVERYONE WHO CAME. >> YEAH, LOTS OF THAWS COMING IN
FROM THE CHAT. WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU AT
BERKELEY WHEN WE CAN BE IN CO-PRESENCE SPACE. >> I WOULD LOVE THAT PIMPT HELP
YOU THINK ABOUT TELEPORTATION. >> THAT WOULD BE SO COOL.
THANK YOU SO MUCH BYE.
