David Trullo
Spanish video maker
Interview:10 questions
1. Tell me something about your life and the educational background
I studied fine arts in Complutense University in Madrid back in the early nineties. It was still a quite ‘old-fashioned’ institution oriented to ‘proper disciplines’ such as life drawing, which I enjoyed very much. I did some video then using U-Matic format and studied the works of Bill Viola, Gary Hill, Wolf Vostell and Robert Wilson. It was fun. My main media is photography. I guess it comes from ‘family background’. My father was a photojournalist specialized in bullfighting.
2. When, how and why started you filming?
In 1997 I started to work at a small local TV station in Madrid, doing a program on contemporary art. I took advantage of their limited resources to start experimenting and I created my first own pieces.
3. What kind of subjects have your films?
Admiration, different readings on common things, voyeurism, reality seen as fiction and fiction as reality.
4. How do you develop your films, do you follow certain principles, styles etc?
Every project comes from a simple idea, or I just film because I like what I see and use the material somehow. Many times there is a starting point which changes when being edited.
5. Tell me something about the technical equipment you use.
I use a very simple camera, still with a ‘cassette’ and convert it to digital. Then I use simple tools like cut and paste with editing programs such as Adobe Premiere.
6. The field of “art and moving images†(one may call it videoart or also differently) is is manifesting itself as an important 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€)
Much of the most interesting stuff I see in contemporary art is video. It is cheap to produce, versatile, easy to transport and that is why it is everywhere now. I don’t know if it will be my main media in the future, I still like still images too much. Video is just another way I use.
7. How do you finance your films?
They don’t need a big budget. I sometimes get a grant to finance a project which can include different types of media.
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 don’t have experience in working in a team. My videos are very personal pieces and feel more comfortable working alone. I know it sounds naf, but I see video as some kind of ‘visual poetry’.
9. Who or what has a lasting influence on your film/video making?
Andy Warhol, Jack Smith, Kenneth Anger, Jean Cocteau, Pier Paolo Pasolini… Silent movies, music videos and documentaries fascinate me for their power of turning reality into fiction.
10. What are your plans or dreams as a film/video maker?
I don’t consider myself a ‘video maker’ the same way I don’t consider myself a ‘photographer’ I just hope I will continue doing works that appeal to people and fulfill me.
Can works of yours viewed online besides on CologneOFF or VideoChannel? Where?
My main page for artwork:
www.davidtrullo.com
Videos at:
http://vimeo.com/davidtrullo/videos
Some of the videos of past editions of ‘Queer Portraits’ a video programme I curate for Visible Festival in Madrid since 2005
http://vimeo.com/groups/86539