Roland Quelven
French videomakler
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biography
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Interview: 10 questions
1. Tell me something about your life and the educational background
Born in 1967 in France. Graduated in Mathematics.
2. When, how and why started you filming ?
I started to manufacture static images through paintings during 20 years before manufacturing moving images in 2009. First I made Flash animations and digital collages for a website devoted to a project named Napolecitta. Since 2010 I make videos in quicktime format.
3. What kind of subjects have your films?
Most of my video pieces are numbered, assembling a register, an imaginary official record. Combinations of numbers, maps, writings, paintings and masterpieces of Art history digitally assembled, all this seen through the prism of the Detail.
4. How do you develop your films, do you follow certain principles, styles etc?
I consider that a video is never finished. I use details of my precedent works and researches and introduce them in my new projects following a principle that I call “The fractal virtues of Detail”. All the videos and researches belong to an encyclopaedical project named Napolecitta.
5. Tell me something about the technical equipment you use.
I work with an Imac intel 27” and use After Effects CS5 and Adobe Soundbooth.
6. The field of “art and moving images†(one may call it videoart or also differently) is representing an important counter position in contemporary art. Tell me more about your personal position and how you see the future of this field ( your personal future and the future of “art and moving imagesâ€).
I believe that the field of “art and moving images†now is similar to Film research and theory at the end of the XIXth century, when the nature of static and moving image was undecided.
An exponential evolution related to that of the new technologies (eg. The HD capable Nokia mobile phones). Also I would like to point to the Quicktime format as a legitimate one.
7. How do you finance your films?
I am self-financed as I make them on my computer.
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 have experience in both, I enjoy those and I prefer to alternate. There are two kind of collaborations. The first one is using another artist’s imagery, as a demanding exercise in which to figure another artist’s universe with my own filter and specific vocabulary is rewarding. The second one is a collaboration with a musician composer: Sofia Koubli to whom I submit a video and then we exchange.
9. Who or what has a lasting influence on your film/video making?
Peter Greenaway ( Prospero’s book and the use of the Tulse Luper suitcase’s project).
Istvan Horkay ( Bolzanogold’s project in collaboration with Peter Greenaway).
10. What are your plans or dreams as a film/video maker ?
Screenings on a multi wide screen, triptych installation. Projet Napolecitta.
Links
Website Napolecitta
http://www.napolecitta.com
MubiGarage
http://mubi.com/garage/films?user_id=383715