Reproducing Coercion - my latest work
Reproducing Coercion: An exploration on the reproduction of ideology in cults and capitalism.
For my Master’s Thesis at the Fine Arts Academy Vienna, I submitted an academic/scientific work alongside a series of short films.
The PED Manifesto
I co-wrote a manifesto outlining a vision for transitioning to Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) through a holistic and inclusive approach. Often, sustainable energy transitioning is viewed as a technical matter.
We beg to differ, and felt it was time to make our views public. The manifesto outlines how our transition towards sustainable energy is interlinked with our economic structures, policies, social realities, legal, financial and governmental states. Without a just transition, one that accepts that we cannot consume as we used to, that we need to involve the most impacted by the impeding environmental chaos in the discussion, and by reconsidering our social relations and hierarchies, we cannot reach sustainability. Most importantly however, is the fact that communities need to be involved, and we need to have a transparent, bottom-up transition if we want to ensure impact and success.
More on energy communities
I created a documentary on a very interesting and inspiring community in Aggsbach by the Danube river, in Lower Austria.
You can read more on Bürger*innenKRAFTwerk here: https://wonderland.cx/burgerinnenkraftwerk/
or view the documentary (in German) below:
Another local initiative I just had to document
We met Florian and Corinna while working on the “BioYouToon” Erasmus Plus Cooperation project with X-arts.
The project aims to raise Biodiversity awareness among young people – which is also a passion of Corinna and Flo’s. So they joined the project as trainers, and consultants for the comic webtoon strips we’ll be creating for the project (more on that later!)
They also have a very unique project they’ve been working on: creating islands of biodiversity along the lengthy streets of Meidling in Vienna, to allow insects and other species of living things we barely notice in our cities, to move through the city and find places to seek refuge in and exist within. We documented the bio-diversity walk they took participants of the workshop in Vienna on, then sat down with them and asked them to tell us more about this amazing project! More info on the Bioyoutoon project.
Some demos:
I don’t like to boast, but I have been known to write and direct films and documentaries… I’ve even won some awards long the way; you can view a selection of my films in their entirety in the viewing room, or obtain more info about them in the filmography section. Here, you’ll find my film reel and commercial reel.
More about... me.
Since you’re here now…. How about a heart-to-heart.
You know… My grandma passed away, just recently. The significant role she played in my life cannot be overstated: I spent the first 5 years of my existence living with her, thinking she was my mom.
You see, my mom and dad were busy working demanding jobs as recent immigrants to Canada, and didn’t have the time nor the resources to properly take care of me – so they flew me off to the “homeland,” where I could be afforded the luxury of having access to the space and care that would enable me to sprout as a young human being – under the watchful eye and graceful care of grandma. This isn’t a story that’s unique to me mind you: there are probably hundreds of thousands of second gen. immigrants who’ve experienced this in one way or another. (Do I see a documentary film in there somewhere?)
Scene from “Dr. Zack” – 2010
So moving along… We’d spend a majority of our time together, telling each other stories: and boy could she tell a story. Her tales fed my imagination, her vivid descriptions of magical worlds with colorful and unique characters (actually, now that I look back, she was merely describing Germany through the lens of a “Gastarbeiter” to me, but did I tell you she could tell a good story?) fueled my curiosity.
So quite naturally, I picked up and began telling some stories of my own.
One day, I sat her down (on that sofa they brought back with them when returning from Germany – again another story – to introduce her to my friends. Some spoke Japanese (I would, of course, translate for her), some Spanish, some gibberish. They all had a story however, filled with obstacles they overcame and difficulties they had to endure. And even if they were merely a figment of my imagination: to me, they were as real as night and day.
Scene from “Gematria” – 2014
Ever since, stories have helped fuel my enthusiasm for life, replenish my inquisitive nature, and satisfy an innate desire to keep occupied by working on something interesting, exciting, challenging, rewarding,…
So here's my dad's favorite question: what in the world do I really do?
When people ask me what i do… I say I tell stories… Stories that interest me, inspire me, call out to me and beg to be told… Regardless of the format or medium: if they trigger or move me, I tell them.
Latest news: what I'm currently up to...
Completed a series of documentaries in collaboration with Wonderland
I’ve been busy collaborating with wonderland platform for European Architecture on a series of short documentary films (funded by the Austrian Federal Chancellery) . The documentary series explore unique and inspiring stories of Viennese artists and initiatives that promote sustainable living and change the way we interact with our built environments.
More will be produced within the year, but I’ve created two films so far: “Plastic Love” follows Plastic (recycling) artist Julian Jankovic, and “Es muss doch Gehen” tells the inspiring story of Treecycle: A Viennese collective creating ecologically and socially sustainable “street furniture” in the form of unique and transportable ecosystems.
To be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed creating these, and working with some creative people who are striving to do some good.
Have a look, and let me know what you think!
Just presented best practices of innovative community activation
As you know, I follow and document community regenerated sites and socially inclusive initiatives, as well as sustainable tourism issues. So, naturally, I was invited by the “Design Matters” seminar series to do a presentation on innovative social activation, based on my experiences during the production of the Open Heritage documentary series (you can view the films below).
In fact, all the sites I visited had innovative models, but I focused on Stara Trznica (Bratislava), Largo Residencias (Lisbon) and Sarg Fabrik (Vienna) as three of the most impressive examples I came across while producing the series.
Have a look, the presentation is below, and let me know what you think!
Fresh out the oven: the Open Heritage documentary series
I spent the better half of 2019 traversing across Europe, visiting unique sites and initiatives utilizing urban spaces to transform communities, foster exchange and promote inclusiveness. These documentaries are a result of my visits. Created for the Open Heritage project, in collaboration with Eutropian and XsentrikArts, each highlights a unique case and site. This was a pleasure to create, I’m now working on an in-depth feature documentary film on the same subject.
Without further ado:
Here they are… the result of a full year’s work.
The Begegnungsorte Series
This one’s also a work in progress. We (as in XsentrikArts, or to be more precise, as in me and Bahanur Nasya) completed 6 films highlighting unique community initiatives and public spaces in Vienna. We’ve even created a website for the project: check it out here.
Partial funding by the Federal Chancellery of Austria allowed us to initiate this project in collaboration with XsentrikArts. We spent a considerable amount of time on location, researching the unique locations recommended to us by our curators, and documenting aspects that made them case studies. We’re hoping the work can promote the discourse on public spaces and community initiatives. Check out the documentaries in full, below.
