VIP - VideoChannel Interview Project

Prey, Mikael aka Fetish23

Mikael Prey aka Fetish23
Swedish media artist

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  • artist biography
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    Interview:10 questions

    1. Tell me something about your life and the educational background

    born in stockholm 1964, parents from vienna and rome.
    started doing music, painting, photo, film, writing and multi media shows during the 80:s.Went to the Royal University Collage of Stockholm 1995-98. furthermore worked there leading courses in video, 3D-animation and later as supervisor/producer in their virtual studio ( real-time 3D-scenography+IR-tracked cameras in chroma key studio ).
    nowadays I do music/art video, vj:ing, photography, 3D animation and virtual studio set design.

    2. When, how and why started you filming?

    as long I can remember I have always been very image oriented.
    started during the 80´s, very much simultaneously with the emergence of the punk/new wave-movement out of a necessity to channel creative energy.

    3. What kind of subjects have your films?

    i suppose one could say that there usually is a tendency towards the surreal, abstract, esoteric, contradictory, ambiguous and a general exploration into the subconscious mind. I try to mix in several layers of understanding.

    4. How do you develop your films, do you follow certain principles, styles etc?

    my approach varies much depending on the projects and form of presentations:
    film, music/art video, installation, vj-material, performance backdrops, cd/book covers, 3d animation, prints etc. I try to go about every production with as few preconceptions as possible and try to avoid falling into the trap of repeating myself using too many clichés etc.

    5. Tell me something about the technical equipment you use.

    video cameras, digital/analog cameras, laptop-pc, external hard drives, scanner and different editing, post production and 3d softwares.

    6. What are the chances of new media for the genre film/video in general and you personally?

    With the accelerating development of computation power, decreasing costs of equipment and increasing amounts of forums/channels for broadcasting your works, media is increasingly becoming accessible to a larger audience of users and subsequently opens up the possibilities for more and more varied forms of audiovisual expression. we will see ever evolving forms of distribution, broadcast and technical developments in all kind of media platforms.
    Internet in general has radically changed and widened my possibilities getting my works shown and distributed. The technical means have opened up new ways for creative expression and given birth to new forms of media art work.

    7. How do you finance your films?

    I work part time as hotel night porter so I finance them myself.

    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?

    both, when with others, then mostly together with the film maker robert rif the method of working for me is different, more of an effort of several people, sharing of ideas, time and work,a different production process that mostly achieves results consisting of more than the sum total of the involved people.
    When working on my own I dig more into the fields of my own dreams and ideas. it´s less “compromising” and maybe more of a self challenge in all aspects of the production process from initial idea to finished result.

    9. Who or what has a lasting influence on your film/video making?

    my inspiration comes from all kind of sources: art, music, literature, philosophy, religion, politics etc. but growing up in the midst of punk/new wave/industrial scene artists such as throbbing gristle/psychic tv, mark pauline/survival research laboratories, the residents, the film makers derek jarman, kenneth anger, alexander jodorowskij, peter greenaway, andreij tarkovskij, david lynch and writers genesis p.orridge, william s.burroughs, antonin artaud, friedrich Nietzsche a.o. have had a seminal impact on my way of working and thinking.

    10. What are your future plans or dreams as a film/video maker?

    generally speaking: improving my skills, hoping to get more distribution for my works, extending the spectrum of my style and at some point hopefully being able to live on my art.

    Can works of yours viewed online besides on VideoChannel? Where?
    List some links & resources:
    most info can be found on my webpage: http://www.fetish23.com,
    some clips are on youtube:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awDOhJMYe3s
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5QyZk4e3uw
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-3VnXtRWUo&feature=related