Sérgio Cruz

Exótica DV, 5', 2009 Portugal/UK

Tell me something about you and artistic background.
I initially studied Sound and Image at Fine Art universities in Portugal (UCP) and Holland (HKU). With the objective of combining my interest in cinema, performance and fine arts, I undertook two masters degrees in London, the first in Fine Arts at Central Saint Martins (CSM) and the second in “Dance for the Screen” at The Place- London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS). Since then my art practice has become  solely devoted to film/video as a medium to articulate gesture. An interest in the nature of performance remains central to all my films. It looks at the choreography that can be found in the ‘real’ world, using a diverse range of subjects. These films revolve around real people and places. However their realism is undercut by a formal approach to camera and editing, which finds surprising contrasts and contradictions within the worlds explored.

Tell me about this film, initial idea and work process.
Exótica is the result of a three-week artistic residence in Maputo (Mozambique) in March 2008 with the Portuguese choreographer Miguel Pereira. “From all the things, what impressed me the most was observing how it is possible to create new things out of old ones and the power of nature invading the city, tearing apart the concrete”. (Text excerpt from the contemporary dance play DOO by Miguel Pereira). In this film project I was also interested in exploring ideas about human movement through filmmaking, blurring the line between documentary, ethnographic film, visual anthropology, experimental and improvised film, through contacts with the local dance and music community in Mozambique. With a playful approach to the framing and editing of sound and image, Exótica frames fragments of the African wilderness that contrast with the concrete blocks and rituals of dance and music as captured in the city of Maputo. I also intended to build a soundtrack that combines camera ambient field recordings, including natural sound, drums, sounds from city labourers and traffic that progressively transform into a drum & bass track.

Are you working on new projects at the moment?
Currently, I am producing an experimental single screen film entitled “Hannah”. On this project I am exploring the impressive skills and playful ambition of Hannah Dempsey, a young dancer and Olympic athlete from the suburbs of London who has Down’s Syndrome. The film will showcase her capabilities as a dancer and athlete. It will focus on the connection between arts and sports with emphasis on the athlete-dancer relationship. It will be a celebration of motion, energy and elegance of human movement, evoking the power of adrenaline in the young Hannah.

Do you have specific influences in your film/video making?
My work has been influenced by many different factors: I have been stimulated towards the issues concerning dance and choreography because of the number of collaborations with emerging Portuguese choreographers that I have been developing throughout the last few years. In my MA at CSM and at The Place LCDS I researched artists who use/d film, video and performance as a medium to articulate gesture. I am inspired by choreography that can be found in our routines in people and places. I have lived, studied and worked in a variety of countries, which has contributed to a diffuse sense of geographical belonging. Through these experiences of constant shifts in location, I’ve identified a need to find a correlation between my persona and my activities as an artist, in relation to the places that I visit and people that I meet.

Why is it important for you to show your film/video in a festival?
Festivals are a great way to showcase your work as part of a programme that has been carefully constructed by the organizers. Often there is a common but loose theme which provides the thread, but equally sometimes you can have your film shown as part of a festival which is so diverse. This is a great way to reach many different audiences and to have screenings in different contexts.

What role do you think Oslo Screen Festival should have to promote your work?
I think that this festival has an excellent reputation to show the kind of work that I produce. I am very pleased to have my film Exótica showing as part of the Oslo Screen Festival! I will be very interested to hear any feedback from the people who are able to see the screening.