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nopefun · 2 years

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Interview #498: Building a House

This is an excerpt of a conversation between Dennese Victoria and me. I featured Dennese on Nope Fun last year, and in August this year she invited me to have another conversation. We spoke about the past 11 years of Nope Fun, our practices, and friendship.

Sometimes I get asked how I maintained Nope Fun over the years as a personal project, and through this conversation I realised it’s really about curiosity and the impulse to connect to like-minded people. That’s what’s been meaningful to me.

Dennese Victoria Lee Chang Ming

I discovered something today. You started Nope Fun in August.

I can't remember actually

I looked at the archives and the first post is August 26 or something.

In 2010

So it's been 11 years of you doing this.

I should have an anniversary party

I like the coincidence that it's your anniversary month. And then I checked the questions too because I was wondering, I wonder how he has changed, in terms of how you ask questions.

Oh, yeah it was totally different

You were asking how long they brushed their teeth

Yeah, it was always very trivial, kind of frivolous questions. Like, what's your favourite food. Or what's your favourite place in the house. Stuff that's totally not related to photographs. The one thing that I kept constant is asking about music. What's your favourite music? What do you recommend?

So, take me back. Where were you then?

2010 I had just finished army.

Army?

Because here in Singapore, we have to do compulsory conscription for military.

How did you look like?

Yeah, I did two years of military. I know I don't look like it, but I was in the infantry. So I was in a jungle with guns and everything in the front lines like, camping or whatever. But I was just training, there's no war here. It was two years of pain and suffering.

Yeah so I just finished two years of army and then I was really following a lot of online blogs, like art blogs, not just photography, but just art blogs in general. And then seeing a lot of artists that inspired me and all that. So then I was like, okay, actually, why don't I just start it myself?

Actually Nope Fun first started on Flickr. So I would message - my first few interviews I actually conducted on Flickr then I posted them on Tumblr. And it's like, yeah, nothing to lose, right? So I was just reaching out to all these photographers that I liked at the time or whatever. I mean, if not, how am I ever going to talk to these people? But then again, I just started Nope Fun without thinking very much at all. It just really started on a whim, like one random night and Nope Fun itself is just a song at that time on My Space.

So you were following a lot of people online, but were you shooting also?

A little bit, yeah.

I can't remember if you studied art or something.

No, no. I was studying Communications and New Media. But it's not creative in that sense. There weren't any creative projects like photography or drawing, I was not aware of it like that. But it was more like academic theories. So photography is just mainly self-taught. But I also like to think that through looking at a lot, or getting influenced by looking at a lot of different styles, and seeing what I liked, and what resonated with me, that the internet was my teacher.

That's intense. So yeah, I was surprised that it's been 11 years. And then now, to know that it came from your military era. And so I wanted to ask you, how would you introduce yourself now? ‘Cause it's been a long time.

I'm trying to recall how I did it. I think it was just on Flickr mail at first and just like, "Hi, I'm starting a blog, would you be interested. I just have a list of like five or six questions". And then surprisingly, most of them reply. And then somewhere in between, I don't know, maybe like 40 or 50 interviews I can't remember, it started to be a bit more popular and then from then on after the first few interviews, it was all people submitting. So, I didn't ask people, they submitted to me.

At first I wasn't very selective. I said, "Oh wow, people are interested". I have to accept everyone, but after a while, I felt the need to maybe be a bit more selective. You know, just only featuring people that I really like. So, in a sense, in the whole beginning part, I didn't really ask anyone.

But for maybe the last couple of years, I think it was when I started working, though now when I think about it, it's all corresponding to phases in my life. So, I was very, very active during my university years and even after, like three or four posts a week. But then once I started working, there was just no energy to maintain it. So, I just slowed down a lot.

If you've been through my archive, you probably noticed that there were very big gaps in between. So that's when I started working. And I guess it took a side line. And so after that the web traffic went down a lot and people stopped submitting. So, there were even bigger gaps. And then when I had time, I was like, okay, I want to start it again. I started writing to people that I wanted to start it again.

And recently you've been doing it once a month, no? Like once a month you release something.

I've been trying to get back into it. But also, you know the questions changed a lot. So it was very frivolous and I guess you could say the kind of people who were submitting were also a bit more serious about their practice. And I guess in my own practice I also was beginning to be a bit more serious about it. So maybe that's why the questions changed along the way.

And another interesting thing was that the questions that I ask are always things that turn out relevant to things that I wanted to find out for myself.

So, in the beginning stages, I was asking them, What's more important? Aesthetics, or content? I think that was a recurring question for the first 100 interviews or something. But then after that, I kind of moved on and said, okay, I think I already know this, for myself, and then after that, I asked other questions that I'm interested to see what people think about.Certain things that I was thinking about. For example, ideas about truth versus fiction in photography.

I like that you mention this lightness because I've always felt a kind of lightness from you or from your approach. Not in the sense that you don't take it seriously, because you work so hard I feel, like you're always releasing something. But always releasing something is both a product of your hard work and also like, your ability to let it go.

Yeah, you're right. I didn't really articulate it that way but it's definitely how it is. Like not wanting to take the work too seriously but also very serious at the same time. How do I explain?

Because you were also saying how you began Nope Fun was that you just did it. Was there no dark night of the soul? A kind of, I must do this.

No, because from the beginning, at least, when it came to Nope Fun, it was like, if I didn't want to do it, then I would have just stopped. Because it's just me, there's nothing, there’s really nothing to lose. And even now there’s nothing to lose. And it's not like I'm doing this to build a reputation, or to network, and I don't depend on it for a living, either. It's just really for my own interest. So the stakes are low for myself.

But when it came to my own photography, or my own practice, I think it depends on each project. Like certain projects, I don't have so much attachment to. But those that are more personal, then I think I do have more attachment.

After the photos are taken, when it comes to putting it out there, I do actually struggle quite a bit with thinking, Okay, how do I present it? Some works actually, I have held on to for many years and I've never shown anyone. But then I’m also like, Why am I keeping it in? Why do I even make it in the first place? So then sometimes I just put it up.

Or maybe for some of the work, I’ll have an idea that maybe this would be good in this context, maybe it could be a book or maybe an exhibition. But then the right time never arrives to sort of put it out there. And then it just gets left in a corner.

So as soon as I think that it's to my own detriment that I overthink when it’s the right thing, or when it's the right opportunity to throw something out there, then the other side of me will be like, Don't think so much and just go with it. Do it first and then figure it out later.

But I think we probably talked about this before, that most of my ideas - I just never do it in the end. I think it's probably similar for you too, I’m sure you have a lot of ideas but like getting down to doing it or actually showing it, it's another thing.

I don't know if I'm imagining it but I feel a sense of confidence from you. Like a secret confidence maybe. For example when you were talking about how you weren’t thinking about your career, I wanted to ask you if you were not conscious of being watched, especially by, for example, people whose opinions you value. So, I kind of envied that you feel a bit more free maybe or I don't know if it's an illusion, because I'm outside of your mind, but I do feel a certain sense of confidence about it.

I think I get what you mean. Like, I think my confidence mainly comes from me being sure in what I like. And now my thinking will be, if I like it, someone out there is going to like it. So it's that kind of approach rather than trying to appeal to everyone or anything. I think I'm always trying to appeal to myself because then that way you attract like-minded people.

Has it always been that way? Have you always been like that as a kid? Like, I know what I want.

Maybe. Kind of. I think as a kid... yeah, I think I’m just very weird. I’m not really very sociable.

Which is just strange to say because you've just interviewed 495 people.

Yeah but I’m talking about face to face, or social settings. On the internet, it's a different thing. It's easier in a way. Approaching people in the street, or in a party or event is different from email exchanges, right?

For you, is it like totally different rooms in your personality?

Maybe no, maybe it’s a bit more bridged. I would like to think I’m a bit more sociable now.

I think it’s interesting. The internet self is not exactly like, I mean it is still true, but it's not exactly your daily self. Last time when we were still just messaging, you were telling me something about it being more organic for you, that whatever friendships you develop from the hundred people whether it’s with your work or with Nope Fun.

But then I was thinking, isn't organic connection, isn’t it still born from this desire, out of an intention? So, you still thought about it. And for example, you let people submit, but later on, you kind of thought, No, now I have to select.

Yeah, you're right, it's not entirely organic in that sense. But it starts off with the intent, maybe someone submits, and then after that, whether or not we carry on that connection is up to us.

For example, one of the people that submitted to me, this guy called Alex, and he was like, I think he was living in the US but he used to live in Singapore. And so he submitted and I featured him, and his family lives here so when he visited Singapore, he said, Let's meet up. So we met in person, and then he connected me to some of his other friends in Singapore.

And then his friends are people that I hang out with now. So, it's like, indirectly he connected me to his other friends, and then now they’re my good friends. That kind of thing.

I think that's what I mean. Because you can never plan these things. But if I didn't have that platform of Nope Fun, then I wouldn't have never made that kind of friendship. Of course, out of the 400, no, most of them after that are like, whatever.

Another one is, for example this Japanese photographer submitted and then we exchanged emails quite often after that, and we have this email chain, that is, I think, 99 emails, really.

Anyway, when he came to Singapore, we shared a table for Singapore Art Book Fair. So, it’s like, Wow we’re in real life. But I also think that it starts from this common interest of photography or art. And then because there's a common interest, then it's very easy to talk about, talk about anything.

So, when you do meet them in real life, it’s still like bridges, they're still the same?

Because for example, my problem is sometimes I think the people that talk to me online, they have this weird imagination of me that they look for when they meet me. And then they're kind of disappointed. Like, they expected to be closer than I wanted, or than I was ready for. And especially with my recent work, with the invitations, it's just really a bit intimate.

I'm having trouble with that - where to, or how to make people understand that access to me during the work, and in real life, are like different doors. It’s also hard to suddenly tell people that, Please enter through another door. So I don’t know.

Maybe, and because you're talking about doors right now, I was imagining, it's how you build your house around you. Like you’re your own architect building how people can reach you.

And so maybe yours is a little bit more like there’s a door for other people and there's another door for others. Maybe there's another for other things. For me also, maybe there's a window that's always open, and then another door that's here.

Because depending on who you meet, you behave differently, right? Whether it's with your relatives or with artist friends or with your colleagues, I would say, based on those kinds of different relations, then you behave a certain way because it’s a different part of yourself. And they are all real, and they're all true, but it's just, yeah, different parts.

I do feel that they're all real. Just different parts of the puzzle.

I didn't expect that, because I was imagining that you were messaging people for Nope Fun, but I didn't know that they came to you. Which is actually interesting because when I approach people, like whether it's for an official reason, or something personal, I always overthink the part about, who am I to ask for their time?

But then when I do begin to ask, I almost always kind of realize that a lot of people want to be asked. And then when I heard you say that they came themselves, I was thinking that maybe people do want to be found more than I think they want to be.

But then there's a different context right? Because for me, it was that I’m running this blog, this platform that people can get exposure or whatever, so I'm offering something, in a way.

Because I give them this network, not really a network but people who read it. So I feel like I always gave more; I'm offering something more than they would see.

But for you, in your case, the stakes are higher I feel, because you're really putting yourself in it. For me, it's kind of like, it’s just a website and that's how it starts; for you it's like you are momentarily in that relationship between you and the person.

But you still give time. You still give time, I feel. And I don't think a lot of people get asked often. That's what I like about what you do. I don't think a lot of people are asked often. That's what I like about the space.

I wanted to ask, because you were saying something about how you often feel like you offer more than they can give. Because I was also thinking before that, I wonder if you wish that they also asked you. I know you usually just send questions, right? And then they answer back? So I wonder if you sometimes feel like hoping they would also ask you back.

Yeah, possible. I think in the more recent ones I did. But there's not so much of a deep reason other than I wanted to keep the format consistent. And that format also allowed me to do so many in a short time.

But if you're having more of back and forth, like what we did for your interview, which I really enjoyed, there's so much more time and effort involved. And it’s a different format altogether. So maybe I would love to have some separate platform for a more in-depth conversation as opposed to just Q&A, because for most of the features as you know, it’s just Q&A. And they don't ask me anything, it's just me sending questions.

So you would introduce yourself, and then they’d send in the answers, and then usually it ends like that? Are you happy with that? Or does it not like feel a bit cold or something? Or is it because you decided it that way?

I think it's because I decided that way. But also, it's kind of like, yes, it's a bit cold, but then it’s a foot in the door. And then anytime, I can just contact them again and say, Hey two years ago, I interviewed you about this thing. So at least there's some kind of connection there. Even though it's not deep, it's still something.

Like what I said in the beginning, when I started it, I really didn't think about it at all. It's just I’m just going to do this thing and then I started it. And then somehow people seemed to like it, and then I just stuck to that format. So there's no real deep reflection on my side as to why I put it exactly in that formula other than, that's how I started and then I just kept to it. In fact, it's only on the more recent ones that it’s kind of a little more in-depth. Cause you were suggesting this approach that’s not just Q&A, so I was like, okay.

Thanks for giving me extra work. Thanks for making me work harder? But no, because I'm just curious also. So I began in this “world” of art exhibitions around 2015. And at first, I was just happy about the pictures on the wall, and sometimes the free flights. But now I’m also thinking, I wonder if I'm making the most of it. Or, how do I actually do that? I remember when we were in Germany, and Fadli was, like, super pro. He was giving his books and stuff, and we were like, What do we eat?

Yeah he was probably meeting some important person and we were like, Where do we go? There’s a nice café there.

I don't know. You've been to a lot of fairs. And you had that interview.

Not a lot of fairs actually,it's just Singapore Art Book Fair.

Do those things that feel the same to you? Does it give you a kind of, Woah, this is where I’m meant to be? On a scale of 1 to 10 does it feel like a meaningful event for you? I guess I'm asking, when do you feel successful? When do you feel like you’ve made it? Or, which things come close to that?

Yeah, I think to maybe cut across a few of your questions or stories just now from about the time in Germany to about finding success and meaning, I think, because I’m also thinking more about meaning - about what I find meaningful in all these experiences.

At the end of the day, it is about finding a connection, like a real connection to other people. Like meeting all of you guys, that's the biggest takeaway, right? For me, it's also very inspiring. And, or like you just mentioned, I got to meet Czar, and we became friends and hung out for a few days, and right now we still chat randomly now and then which is very, very nice.

And I don't think it's just like, Oh, I’m making a new friend. It’s also because we have certain, a common understanding through making art or photographs and therefore there’s this language that we can understand and that we can’t with other people who are not involved in this creative or art making kind of thing. There’s this is certain kind of mutual understanding, or like solidarity

Like an affirmation.

Like an affirmation too, yes. But the success part, for me I have the privilege of not depending on it for a living. This was a deliberate choice in this current point of time to not depend on it for a living so I don't have to operate in a certain way.

So I think that kind of frees me a bit from what I perceive a proper artist or photographer should be and to just do things the way I wanted to.

So maybe that relates to your earlier point on how maybe you see me as a bit more than free or light, and not taking it too seriously.

Because, yeah, I don't a hundred percent focus, I don't depend on it for my day to day, and therefore I'm able to be a bit more free about how I deal with it and that's not to say I don't take it seriously because actually, I feel like I take it more seriously than let's say, my day job. But I don't have to be so tied down with it

Do you know what I mean? Because I imagine that if I had to do it full time, my approach would be very different. And I don't think I would enjoy it at this current point in my life. I don't know about the future, but now, when I think of the pressure to behave a certain way, or to present myself a certain way, and maybe even market myself a certain way, and go out and network more like how I would do in my day job, that all of this would take the joy out of it.

So I was also looking at your website. and then I was looking at Soft Bloom again. And then I'm only noticing now how clear it is as opposed to the ones before and that it is more quiet. It's less of a passing, like how I was telling you about the lightness in your work earlier, but with Soft Bloom the images have a more clarity to them. And then I read the text about the eyes touching the photograph… And so I wonder, did you change cameras? Or did you just change in terms of approach or feelings?

More of the feeling. And I think most of those kinds of projects, Until Then, this one, and my other series as well, it's more about the kinds of feelings when taking it, and when i'm editing after that. And actually, Asrul said the same thing as you. He said, Oh, this is so different. Like, I feel so much more still.

But it's the same camera, it is the same camera that I used for Until Then. So, I'm also very happy that both you and him noticed it because that was what I wanted too - I guess to show a different kind of feeling. And that kind of feeling you can't really say, or speak about in a way. So I'm very glad that not only myself but that other people can also pick up on that.

It's very clear. But maybe also because you had more time to photograph than Until Then.

Yeah, but that one is still ongoing.

Do you feel a need to close a project?

Usually not. But recently, I've been thinking that sometimes I guess I do. Like one of the things that has been on my mind the past few weeks is this earlier, so-called series, I don't even know if you can call it a series. But the Idle Hands series, it's on my website, I don't know if you saw it, but it was one of the things I showed when we first met,

I don't know if I saw it online but I remember you had a zine.

Yeah, I did. But yeah I was showing that and I remember them sitting there saying, Oh it's just like random pictures that you put together. And it could be in any other series. And I didn't realize it until recently that actually, that has affected me since then, like this, this short comment. I forgot that I had to unlearn that, that kind of feeling. But I guess at that point it was like, okay, these serious photographers are telling me that this has to mean something.

But then now, after some time, I realize that actually, that's not true. I knew what I was doing. And through their perspective, that's what they saw but then again, it was a photography workshop and there's a certain way of understanding and reading images.

So looking back, I realised, actually, no, actually maybe you just didn't see the whole... the bigger picture that I was trying to, or the bigger feeling I was trying to capture.

What music do you recommend?

So, this recently, this guy called Fred again..

So I'd just be listening and going for walks in the evening. And it's very nice. Yeah, that's the one thing that's been helping me, or inspiring me, going for walks.

Yeah, it moves you, like you're moving literally, and then it kind of moves your mind. For me, being on a commute has the same effect. For example, when I'm on a long bus ride I feel like I can think a lot for some reason.

Yeah, so it's the same thing.

So, I don't know. I don't have any more questions. I feel like we've covered everything.

Thanks for having me.

Thank you for talking to me. I hope both of us get to start our own spaces. It would be really nice to offer space.

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readingphotographs · 7 years

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PH Photography 2016 highlights and 2017 Wishlist

How appropriate it was that the music that was blasting when I entered a Christmas party organized by photographers was the 70’s disco classic, Sumayaw Sumunod by Boyfriends (Literally translated, the title means Dance Follow). The title was a great way to describe the events of the world in 2016. You either dance to your own beat or follow suit. Although as much as 2016 was a dreadful year in human history, I feel that this was a great year for Philippine photography. A year full of growth for the medium not just in the practices of the photographer but also full of historical events in which photography responded.

And so as the song goes, my thoughts raced at what happened in 2016 for Philippine Photography:

Zines. Zines Everywhere.

There was an unprecedented number released in 2016. I assume that the drivers for the growth are the groups cultivating creative expression in universities and independent small press organizations. There's also the opportunities for work to be seen such as in the different Zine festivals.

As usual, it came in different forms and messages. I’d like to point out that there is an increase in what I would like to now call photobooklets (I should write about this on its own). Not as large scale in narrative or production as a full photo book but also not as inexpensively made and aesthetically liberal as a zine. I'm not sure if this made up classification is unique to the Philippines (or developing countries for that matter) but it is interesting developments in the production methods of artists.

Activated and Adapted Spaces for photography

Another proof of growth is the opening of spaces to photography, from new galleries exclusive to photography to spaces that can be adapted for exhibitions. I've seen bars, drinking places, empty warehouses, and places where photography is least expected. Other galleries were also keen to show photographic works and talks.

This can indicate that the art establishment and public is slowly showing interest in the potential of photography as a viable medium. It is also possible that Photographers are getting more and more resourceful in finding ways to show their work. Either way, this is a great trend that I hope will continue for 2017.

Photographic Exhibitions Increased

There was a weekend that I had to visit 4 exhibitions in a day. It was exhausting but it is a good proof that the scene is bustling. Even major institutions such as the Ayala Museum, hosted great shows, most notably, Yee I Lann’s work which touches on our Filipino sensibilities and even showed us a lesson for our own history. Another notable exhibition. Jippy Pascua and Dennese Victoria’s Myth is groundbreaking in its execution and process.

It may have been difficult to go and see all of these shows but I’d prefer it than nothing. Here’s to hoping for more.

Strong Presence in fairs and institutions overseas

It felt like every month, there was news of somebody getting international exposure either from a festival, respected institution, or notable publication. Art Dubai had a great show on artist-run spaces that featured THOUSANDFOLD and bringing with them the work of Czar Kristoff (His "Photobooklet" Configurations is one of the best of 2016) and Gino Javier. Then, Gian Cruz’s You as me made the rounds in various festivals and was also in the spotlight with Geloy Concepcion’s Reyna De las Flores for the Pride Photo Awards. I’ve also lost track of the number of times I saw Lawrence Sumulong get recognition this year (My favorite is The Last of Us which got him the Allard Prize For International Integrity). Noel Cellis also bagged the Varenne Foundation Photo Award and landing his photo as one of TIME’s best of 2016. I’ve also been fortunate to be part of this trend with my presentation in the Museum of Photography - Seoul about my ongoing research on Philippine Photozines.

PH Gender Representation

There was a click-bait listicle last year that named the cutest female photographers. In response to that, I made my own list of PH photographers that you must see but I didn’t indicate their that all the names I placed there were all women both emerging and established in various genres of photography.

I’ve come to realize that the PH has a good gender representation when it comes to photographers. There’s always a presence of women in exhibits, contests, and other opportunities for work. I guess it helps that we have TALA Collective and other women active in the top of the industry. Now the question is that representation recognized? Nope. I feel the general mood is still that women photographers are still looked down upon.

However, I don’t have the numbers to support this realization. Here’s to hoping somebody makes the study and come up with the concrete number. Hopefully, it will result in making the industry better for all.

Photojournalism as always

As always. Photojournalism has always been the PH’s bread and butter. What I do admire from our working Pj's are the conditions they are now operating. Not just the environmental conditions but the societal conditions. The post-truth era has come to question the role of journalism and made it difficult for anyone working in the news. Thankfully, our photojournalists are stepping up and defending not just their craft but the stories and issues they are trying to tell.

As usual, TOKWA collective and TALA photo collective are leading the charge setting a good framework for how collectives can work. Although there are a lot hungry and hardworking freelancers are also pushing it.

The infrastructure for good photography is growing

We now have libraries dedicated to photobooks and zines, galleries like Vetro, which exclusive to photography have appeared, print labs have also sprouted that understand the needs of photographers, book designers (Most notably Karl Castro) have emerged that know understood the visual medium, and Mapa books launching Tommy Hafalla’s book while Veejay Villafranca’s much awaited Signos will follow in 2017.

The structure that can support good photography is slowly growing. Perhaps the best thing that happened in 2016.

Wishlist

I think it really was an up year for photography but that doesn’t mean there are things that needed to be worked on or improved. Here are some of my personal thoughts on how the scene can be improved.

No room for mediocrity

I still see a lot of works that are just going through the motions. A project for project’s sake. It came to a full head for me when I realize I’m committing the same mediocre practice. In these times when we can use art to open eyes and educate, the slightest hint of pretentiousness or personal indulgence should not be tolerated. There should be no more room for mediocrity. You can either have something that is well planned with all the sincerity you can muster or make it something that fluidly mixes with your life and your sensibilities. Hans Aarsman’s observations about photography should be in full effect.

For the international Media to recognize our local photojournalists

We have a lot of great talent here working on stories with immersing themselves in the thick of it. Yet western media insists on bringing their people in. I wonder why they don’t trust the boots on the ground. I do know that there is a small number who are already correspondents and shooting wires for international agencies and I hope it increases. Then again, I don’t have solid figures to see if this is an actual trend. I’m basing it off from my observations especially the coverage of the war on drugs.

Maybe the problem is the other way around, maybe we need to reach out there more and demand that we can tell our own stories in our own manner. Leverage our command of the English language to insist that we can cater to a western audience. Well, this is why it is a wish list Hopefully western media wakes up from their colonial eyes and build connections here. Those that already did, good on you.

Inclusivity is the key

I want the scene to be more inclusive of the talents outside of Metro Manila. My favorite works this year came from Cebu (Patricia Zosa’s Taste of Summer) and Laguna respectively (Asshulz’s The Face of a Marcos Apologist). Uniting the 7,107 islands has always been a challenge ever since not just for art. The internet is a great equalizer but it can only do so much. I think platforms should make an effort to have a presence in the different regions of the country. Not just in highlighting the work but finding ways for work to be consumed in those areas.

And speaking of platforms…

Platforms for a mass audience

What we have so far is photographers looking at other photographers works. I think the initiatives for 2017 should be to develop programs that would be great for a mass audience not critical of photography. I’ve always had that dream of making a person understand the consequences and beauty of the mundane practice of uploading a photo. The masses doesn’t need to know Barthes or Szarkowski but just to have a grasp on what a photograph is and what can it do.

The film industry has been successful in its attempt this year with MMFF. I think we can do the same. We can start doing the little things by dropping the academic or art speak. More importantly, better writing. This brings me to my next wish...

More about the work and less about the self

I’d love for the platforms to be about the work. Showcase them in a manner that the platform is merely a vessel of delivery. Branding does play a part in the success of platforms but it shouldn’t be what the audience would remember. For a platform to stand out, it has to show not just good works but an avenue for critical discourse. If you are not offering insight, perhaps I should just visit the work on their portfolios and see it there.

As for photographers, what are you trying to say and why are you saying it? This is why Authorship is important. Your work should be remembered, not you. Even if you argue that the work is about the commodification of yourself, what the audience should take away is how good, memorable, or impactful your work was. I don’t want to see works with “This is my personal view of the city” or any iteration of it in an artist statement.

This is why critical discourse on the work is important. If the audience is educated and demanding of good work then the artists have to step up and demand of themselves great work. A creative economy that sustains itself.

Sustainability

I will not undermine the importance of financial support for the further growth of the infrastructure. A challenge for platforms is to build that audience and find ways to be economically viable as a career. It is a problem that I also experience for this platform. As much as I want to focus my time chronicling works and opening them for critical discourse, I need to prioritize paying the bills and finding ways to have money for food. That is a problem that is all too common in the scene from artists, photojournalists, and platforms.

Hopefully, growth means opportunities that create a demand for good work. There’s always grants to apply for, investors to entice, and books/zines to sell but the key is finding a way without compromising the work.

In Closing

As I take a few more swigs of my beer from the Christmas party, I can’t help but be afraid of 2017. Will the trends of 2016 continue? Will all my heroes die and the enemies of good rise to power? Are we really going to be ok? Will my cynical brain just shut up?

Before I even finished my thoughts, they passed me the mic to sing some songs. That’s what we have to do really, we simply step up and continue. If photography can grow in what can be considered a down year, I think we’re going to be ok.

Just like the line in the Boyfriends’ Sumayaw Sumond says:

Awiting Bago, Naghihintay para isayaw mo

(the new songs are there waiting for you to dance to them.)

Happy new year everyone.

Keep on dancing.

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I’d like to take the time to offer my sincere condolences to one of the kindest gentlemen I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, Manuel “Noli” Yamsuan Jr. who passed away in late 2016. He was an amazing photographer. A kind man and is a role model for those practicing photography. He is an important figure in the roman catholic community as well with his signature work is covering the popes that visit the country. Tokwa Collective made a great video about “Ka Noli” for ucanews and I had the wonderful opportunity to interview him about his work for Rappler. I would deeply appreciate for you to take the time and look at his work.

#criticism #photography #philippines #photojournalism #art

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ancanstore · 5 years

Video

Abacá is now Ancán. Full film is up on our new site! Link in bio 🌾💚 Filmed and edited by Timmy Harn @titotimmy Model @_teenagegranny Photographed by @gericcruz Sound design and Scoring Arlo Misa @alr000000 Sound recording Dennese Victoria @vzmn Styled by @nashcruz https://www.instagram.com/p/B2w2ovfn8c2/?igshid=cxnfsr0qp8wp

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districtgalleryph-blog · 6 years

Photo

After Darkness, I Hope For The Light February 10 - March 11 Opening Reception: February 10, Saturday 6PM Cru Camara Dennese Victoria Jan Michellardi Jhemuel Salvador Jose Olarte Joyce Cesario Marco Ugoy Patrick Casabuena . . #art #artgallery #photography #fineart #exhibition #contemporaryart #districtgallery #districtgalleryph #artph #asianart #artasia #deisgn #filipinoartist #artphilippines #philippineart (at DISTRICT GALLERY)

#artgallery #districtgalleryph #exhibition #photography #artph #artphilippines #philippineart #fineart #deisgn #art #districtgallery #filipinoartist #asianart #artasia #contemporaryart

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nopefun · 3 years

Text

Interview #491: Dennese Victoria

Dennese Victoria is an artist living and working in the Philippines. Working across photography, moving image and installation, her work touches on truth, memory, personal history, and the exchanges that occur between herself and those that are reached by the forming and the sharing of her work. More recently, she co-curated a projection showcase for the upcoming Angkor Photo Festival titled “Even though the whole world is burning”.

I first met Dennese when we attended the same photography masterclass in 2016. Listening to her talk about her photographs (both then and more recently when we spoke), I got the sense her pictures were like disclosures of her inner world—signposts leading us toward somewhere else, pointing toward something beyond the frame.

A day before her birthday, Dennese and I chatted on video call about her recent projects, and the importance of witnessing and creating space.

Lee Chang Ming Dennese Victoria

How did you first start and how has your approach changed throughout your practice? It’s weird because what happened was I was studying writing and then it was time for an internship, and I interned at a place that produces television documentary shows. A lot of the people there were photographers, and then that’s how I found out that there could be photo projects and stuff. So in the beginning I was influenced by that. And then I met friends of their friends and then I realised, “Oh, this art world is real.” In many ways it’s also a discovery…and sometimes I would like things from other people and think, “I can try that too.”

But there are also parts where I can’t do the things I used to be able to do anymore. Before it was easy for me to go to people to take pictures of them, but now it’s not so easy. I have to know that you want me to photograph you. I miss being able to just do it.

I feel it’s the same for me. Now I often question if I am actually benefiting more than the person being photographed, and I become hesitant. I think that it’s bad also...that we overthink. Because we don't know that maybe we bring something to the people we meet.

I was at a workshop in 2012 and I was taking documentary pictures of this woman. I think she was under the influence of drugs. One day, I was just taking her picture and then she just stopped and then cried and said, “I don’t want to be here anymore.” So, to me it was like…I don’t actually know why I was there, I just know that I was there for a workshop. So that was when I began asking, “Why am I here? Why are you here?” So it became intense for me. It’s not nothing for us to be here.

Sometimes it’s so easy to forget that with photography we are not just observing something happening. Our presence there also changes or affects the situation. This links to your more recent projects which are more collaborative. For your “invitations” project, which was initiated at an artist residency at Los Otros, what was the process like? I live very far from the city and at that time I realised that I was always stuck in these roles where I was the one giving, or I was the one travelling for people. So when this opportunity came, I kind of wanted to know: if I was in the middle, if I was not in my far away place, who would come?

At that time I was very tired. I was a teacher for about 240 students, and it was me, an introvert, going outside and just having to always reply to people. Also maybe because of a lot of life changes, I realised I wasn’t good at staying in touch. I change lives often and I lose a lot of people along the way. Not that I don’t care about them anymore...but I think I always just go forward. So I noticed that for the first time, and I wanted to learn how to welcome people.

As part of your “flowers for” project, you invited people to send letters of unexpressed sorrow or grief. I also passed you a letter when we met in Germany last year—and to be able to put into words these bottled up feelings was very cathartic for me. Thanks for creating that space, or an excuse, to do that. I think what you say about “excuse” is the right word, because it’s also about where do you bring the things you want to bring? For me, I feel a lot for others and that’s also like why I can’t stay in touch because it becomes too much. Sometimes with the recent art projects it’s structured, so I’m not going to be too overwhelmed—like there is that line and I’m not going to have to give up my life.

Because I really want to offer something, but, for example, especially for strangers, sometimes they think I’m too nice and then the next time they see me I’m in a different mood and then they expect the same welcome and then I’m not able to give it. Of course it’s impossible for me to always be the same thing, so I have sorrow around that also. So maybe [my practice] is also a kind of apology and an attempt to say, “I can’t do this anymore, but I have this, I hope it’s ok.”

In another interview you mentioned photography can be a window, or a door, or a bridge. Art can be a way to connect with others. With my recent desire to collaborate, it’s also because I feel like this experience has given me a lot so I wanted to take more people along to understand and experience it also. I also noticed all my work is sad. I wanted to challenge myself to work with other intentions...other impulses.

Maybe some of your work is a little bit sad but I also feel like it’s optimistic as well. Really?

I do feel like it is optimistic. For example, with your project “invitations”, there’s an underlying hope to see something better...maybe in a small personal way. Yeah, because we did the curation [for the Angkor Photo Festival projection showcase], I looked at a lot of people’s work, and for many things the photographer who was there would have been the only witness. No festival will accept that picture, but they are the only witness. And their world has changed as a result, hopefully. They changed me by looking at their pictures. So I think there is still something.

For example, someone submitted his brother’s wedding photos, and that was really nice. We couldn’t select it, but the way he wrote about it…to me it was very moving that he thought it was for a festival. So many beautiful little things need to be witnessed.

You mentioned curating that presentation for the Angkor Photo Festival. I like what you wrote for the open call, “If to photograph is built on taking things, what do we still have?” Did you find any answers? I think we have a lot actually. Maybe it’s also about learning to value. For example, there were some works that I had seen before on Instagram, that have been validated by other places, and it’s harder for me to think, “Why is it special?” So I have to forget that I’ve seen it. And then it’s only when I’ve seen the rest of [the submissions], which I haven’t seen before, that I remember why it was special. So sometimes, at least for me, it has to be like a journey to visit a person’s work. Because there were a lot of beautiful things. Also because [the submissions] become similar: Whose house? Whose loneliness? Whose love? It’s all important.

For your project “i know you’re lonely, let me look at you”, you mentioned that it was a direct continuation of your “days spent with pretend family” project. In what way do you see it as a continuation? It’s because when I was making “days spent with pretend family”, although I didn’t find the people that really wanted the same thing, I knew that it existed. For example, why do people want to be influencers? So I know that people want to be seen. Then, at the same time, I was thinking, “What if [my subjects are] revealing themselves this way but I take something else?” It was a kind of experiment about if I can really remember them the way they want to be remembered. Recently, whenever a new project comes to mind it’s always kind of going this way—how can I make it more participatory?

Does each project start with you trying to find answers to a question, then once you find some kind of resolution, then that’s enough? In other words, the project doesn’t have to be seen by a lot of people, but as long as it answers something for you on a personal level, then that’s the main thing. Yes, I just recently realised that. When I was younger I thought I was photographing to remember, but now I realise that when I have a problem with something, I work with it. I use the art project to work with it, and then at the end of that I’m always transformed. I’m always a new person after this thing.

Because I know that I’m not going to think of grand photography projects, I always go directly and try to make it very meaningful for me and the people who will show up. So that has been my approach. If it becomes meaningful for me and whoever shows up, then that’s enough.

Your earlier works are about questioning truth and reality. I feel that questioning comes from a personal space, and it’s your attempt to put into words or pictures these doubts that you have. Yes, because I feel like I always ask myself what I ask of others, “Am I being real?” And then I look at it and sometimes you find somethings that are not so nice about yourself. But then at least I know. I’m not scared about looking at what’s dark about me, so I can work through it.

For example, if you look at the whole set of “for/after”, like the first one you can see that I was kind of [retreating], but for me, looking at that, I was very moved to see the second one where I was the one like moving forward and not wanting to let go. So it tells me a lot about myself and maybe what I need or what I don’t want.

So it’s about being self-reflexive and about being honest. Actually someone emailed a few years after I made “days spent with pretend family” and said she had the opposite project. What she does is she asks people to write her a biography, and then she finds photographers to take pictures of her in that alternate life of hers. She just wrote to me saying, “If you ever come back to Europe, tell me then maybe we’ll find a writer and you can take a picture of me.” So I was like, “I knew people like this exist!” I like that feeling, you know, when it’s like, “I can exist, I can be weird, I can do the things I want to do.” I’m always kind of looking for that feeling, and also trying to give people that feeling—that you can feel the way you want to...and that it’s ok.

Yeah, but sometimes in order to create that feeling you have to make that space for it to happen. You have to make the space, and then you have to go there, and you have to let people in—which is not always easy.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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#Dennese Victoria #nope fun #artist interview #Philippines #photographer interview #days spent with pretend family #Angkor Photo Festival #Los Otros

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