Category: film

NEWS – spring 2018 is coming – work in progress

A quick update on some of the current projects.

Inspired by Charlotte
Together with wonderful writer/artist Emily Kocken I am working on a performance project that is inspired by great avant-garde performer Charlotte Moorman. Moorman was a consequential cellist and part of the FLUXUS movement and performed works by Nam June Paik and John Cage among others.
There will be an evening with performances connected to this project at 29 March at Huis de Pinto. The date for the gallery performance and exhibition are TBA.

Emily is also organising an evening of performances this month at Huis de Pinto this month. Seating is limited and it promises to be a very interesting evening. Reserve while you can.

New Histories/Agnes Goodsir
For Australian artist Pilar Mata Dupont I am mixing the audio for a museum installation that will be shown as part of the exhibition ‘New Histories’ that will run from the 14 April-29 July  in Bendigo Art Gallery in Australia. The installation is inspired by the 19th century portraitist Agnes Goodsir. She was part of the Parisian art-scene in the twenties.

Commercial work
I am still doing quite some commercial composing and mixing for different advertising agencies. I am also (finally) working on a new commercial showreel.

Art consulting
For different museums and clients I am working as an art consulting philosopher and writer. Usually I am asked for input on theoretical frameworks for exhibitions or collection choices.

Music projects
I am involved in a couple of music projects as a mixer/producer. With FESS we are working on a new single release. Dates and more info are TBA.

Philosophy
This semester I will be teaching philosophy/aesthetics at the AKI Academy of Arts again . This is still one of my favourite things to do.

NEWS – 2017 is coming!

In contrary to the recent silence on this website, I have been incredibly busy last couple of months and I’m very much looking forward to 2017 with so many great projects and releases coming up.

I’ve been producing and mixing a large popalbum/project with a well known Dutch singer/guitarist about which I can’t really disclose details yet, but we’re working really hard to make it groove even harder.

The film Wild Flower by Fathia Bazi is still going around festivals and had a wonderful Dutch premiere at the Eastern Neighbours Film Festival in the Hague.

Haider Aljezairi’s film The Last Wall is also still playing. This director has the most amazing life story: he’s a war reporter, a refugee and he made his first fiction film in a war zone.  He’s already working on new projects. Keep an eye out for his name, because this is truly a great talent of which we will undoubtedly hear more in coming years.

Wachtnacht a short by Ken van Mierlo is released online. I had a blast doing the sounddesign for this one and it had a good festival run as well. Also check out the music by Yero Pharaoh, a talented composer and generally great guy.

With visual artist Rosa Johanna I’ve just finished Trumpet, a short artistic movie to be shown in an art installation. I love collaborating with her because she always comes up with fresh and wild artistic ideas. She’s a great graphic designer too by the way.

I’m working with Dutch artist/writer/musician Emily Kocken on a performance and installation project for an exhibition. Emily is an inspiring artist. Her new book ‘De kuur’ will be released by Querido in the spring of next year.

I’m co-curating an exhibition next year at Tetem in Enschede. AKI Electrique will be shown from the 9th of February 2017

I’ve been doing a lot of commercials for radio/television and online lately. This Renault commercial is maybe the most interesting of the bunch from a sounddesign perspective, but I love doing functional design any day of the week.

I’ve been engineering for a writers camp during Amsterdam Dance Event at Studio de Keuken. A wonderful bunch of young producers and singers kicking out funky stuff. Here you can find a Spotify playlist from the participating artists.

I’ve been teaching philosophy at the AKI University of Arts this semester. Which has been a blast. I’ve met so many inspiring students that are working on a great variety of projects. It makes you wonder what this new generation will bring to arts.

My own music is also building steadily. This has always been a slow and tedious process for me, but I hope to release some new stuff in 2017.

I’ve been building a lot of equipment this year for different producers and studio’s and we’ve been rewiring the Votown Studio in Volendam. This studio is owned by Dutch musicians the 3 J’s and Jan Smit and which I have helped building from the ground up with Jaap Kwakman. These guys are great friends and some of the nicest people in music I know.

Have a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

NEWS – Last Wall update with screeningdates

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Hyder Aljezairi’s film Last Wall screeningdates at the ‘Nederlands Filmfestival’ in Utrecht are announced. It wil be shown at Saturday the 24th of september at 13.15u and at Monday the 26th of september at 21.30u at Wolff City 2. Tickets are available on the website of the NFF.

The film has recently won ‘best short film’ at the Chandler Filmfestival and is selected for the Canadian Diversity Filmfestival.

NEWS – Screening The Last Wall by Haider Aljezairi

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On Wednesday 6 July at the Fin! Filmfestival the wonderful film The Last Wall by Haider Aljezairi will screen at Lantarenvenster in Rotterdam.

Haider approached me with his remarkable project at the beginning of this year. He was about to travel to Kuwait and Iraq to film a fictional film with a local crew and actors nearby a conflict zone. The film is about local villagers having to leave their homes and families to fight against ISIS. The script is based on a true story and is filmed at the locations were it took place with a crew and actors that have experienced events like the one the film is based on firsthand.

When he first told me the details I was very surprised by the sheer ambition and adventure of his plan. To be honest, I was even a bit skeptical if he could pull it off. At the same time I was so curious about the material he was going to shoot, that I immediately promised to help him out with the sounddesign of his project. The result is this wonderful short film that has combines a local setting and atmosphere with a universal story about the basic human need of shelter.

Haider Aljezairi has a remarkable life story himself. He lived in a lot of different places in the Middle East and used to be a war correspondent during the last Iraqi war. In the Netherlands he started a new life, learned to speak Dutch flawlessly within a couple of years and studied movie direction at the Willem de Kooning Academy. He is undeniably a great talent and I am very curious to see what his next project is going to be.