Interviewer: Walter Colon
There’s a particular moment where you realize that you’re on the outside looking in in almost every shot and the sound crescendos, it’s almost unsettling. Tell me how you came about to add this sound.
I think the second version (a discussion of gentrification) is extremely powerful in adding another layer of meaning to the piece. Though heavy-handed, it conveys the literal meaning of the piece while the viewer is left wondering why they only see from the outside in.
When I watch your video, I can think of it in context to Doug Aitken’s “Electric World” because of it’s overwhelming nature. What were your inspirations for making the work?
I was originally inspired by Chinatown in the morning- the way the neighborhood sleepily wakes up every morning and gets to work. But slowly the piece transformed and began to take this different narrative of being an outsider.
I would describe the tempo of how you sequence clips choppy and quickly cut. How does your use of sound add or contrast to that?
The continuity of sound in the piece makes the viewer feel like the visual is seamless. Sound really ties the piece together.
I’m particularly interested in how you used the camera to look in.Can you tell me why you did this?
The perspective of the camera makes the viewer extremely aware of their own presence in the piece. As an outside viewer of the neighborhood, we’re confronted by the fact that we’re not a part of the neighborhood. This adds an additional piece to the gentrification narrative of the the project.
Why this topic? How did you tackle it?
I wanted to show gentrification through a new view. A Lot of times, the “intruders” aren’t really aware of their presence and impact on a neighborhood. I think this piece makes the viewer hyper aware of their being an outsider and facing cultural barriers.