Dina Boswank
German videomaker
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Interview:10 questions


1. Tell me something about your life and the educational background
Currently I spend around 2 years in Bangalore, where I can work quite independently with different indian-based artists with some help from the Goetheinstitut. Just half a year ago I graduated in MediaArt at the HfG Karlsruhe – and after India I will work for an exhibtition at the SKD Dresden… and try to develop some projects together with Markus Tauber, an architect.
2. When, how and why started you filming?
Actually I started first with recording sounds – to rearrange and reuse. These were and still are used in installations as sonic walks, sound arrangements or radio interventions. Later on I started working with video as well, but with every subject I used a different method to record and edit the material. This happened all during my studies…. as a child I was only drawing because my father wanted me heavily to be an artist … ;/
3. What kind of subjects have your films?
Waiting, Slowliness, Social&public spaces in use,
4. How do you develop your films, do you follow certain principles, styles etc?

Form follows function? Or better – media follows function?
It makes sense for me to work directly, without artificial addition made while editing the footage. I really loved the Dogma principles; but never seriously sticked completely to them.
5. Tell me something about the technical equipment you use.
really different – minidisc-recorder, old cassette recorders, 12MP digital photocamera and its HDV-Function, wireless headphones, radio transmitter, laptops…
6. What are the chances of new media for the genre film/video in general
and you personally?
So, the chance in India for example is the cheap network being created by Facebook/myspace/wikidot to compare ideas, get informed and collect inspiration. And new video-recording methods changes mostly the usage and the attitude towards images and visual aspects in general…millions of artists are created. This might be an opportunity for art students to get more concentrated on political subjects or it might be the way to the simple reduction of fine arts to questions of design. Personally I am definitely mor focused in rearranging old media than using too much new technologies…. Its easier to communicate a subject with media people are used to.
7. How do you finance your films?
Mostly they are low-budget, so I can finance myself and be happy if there is some money (exhibition budgets, Goetheinstitut,…).
8. Do you work individually as a video artist/film maker or do you work in a team? if you have experience in both, what is the difference, what do you prefer?
I like both and I am doing both. Even if I call a project “my own project” I use to talk with different people about its sense and/or need people for translation etc. …
9. Who or what has a lasting influence on your film/video making?
Other artists, successful or not….
Fischli&Weiss, Rachel Whiteread, Dogma, Thomas Heise, Nele Wohlatz, Kathrin Wildner, Markus Tauber,…
And the places I live and how film/video is used and viewed there.
10. What are your future plans or dreams as a film/video maker?
To be able to work constantly on subjects I like and not to be forced to earn money only with unpleasant jobs… and besides, to cooperate with architects
Can works of yours viewed online besides on VideoChannel? Where?
List some links & resources