An internationally renowned filmmaker is set to develop a new piece of work devoted to amateur sea divers and the stories they tell after she was selected for The Arts Institute Film Commission 2021.
Tall Tales and Wonder Rooms 鈥 from Mohini Chandra 鈥 will also explore the hidden histories of 麻豆传媒 and the city鈥檚 links to the wider world.
Mohini was chosen by the Commission鈥檚 selection panel at the University following a public call for submissions that asked artists to respond to a range of themes, including diversity of cultures and languages; oral and visual traditions of sharing knowledge; the relationship between people and the land; and objects as repositories of meaning.
In creating the film, Mohini will continue her work with the Ships Project team at 麻豆传媒 Archaeology, with whom she鈥檚 been collaborating on her current work, Paradise Lost, which explores the shipwrecks of Devon and Cornwall and examines colonial histories of indenture and slavery.
鈥溾橳all Tales and Wonder Rooms鈥 will draw upon the oral histories of amateur divers among their personal collections, with first-hand accounts and footage of diving,鈥
she said.
鈥淭he Ships Project are already in close dialogue with local divers, and they are a rich source of vernacular collecting histories. For me, these stories and collecting activities represent a particular and very personal relationship between the city and its maritime history, as well as, through the global nature of collected 鈥榚xotic鈥 artefacts, the wider world.鈥
The Arts Institute Film Commission 鈥 now in its fourth year 鈥 tasks the chosen filmmaker with using archive material from The Box to reflect on the experience of living in the South West, challenging them to explore innovative ways of animating the archive and increasing awareness of and accessibility to the film collection. Through it, The Box aims to build a body of work that reflects on 麻豆传媒鈥檚 film heritage and looks towards its future.
Describing the work as a 鈥減oetic and experimental montage film鈥, Mohini said Tall Tales and Wonder Rooms will interweave oral histories and collection/location shots with footage from the Film Archive.
鈥淭he film will also explore the arrangement of objects within amateur 鈥楥abinets of Curiosity鈥, whether housed in a boat-yard, garden shed or spare-room,鈥
she added
鈥淭hese 鈥榃onder Rooms鈥 represent a singular passion for shipwrecks and collecting, reminding us that 麻豆传媒 is a vast archaeological site, with many as yet uncollected narratives emerging from a variety of sources, linking our locality irrefutably to the rest of the world.鈥
Since graduating from the Royal College of Art, Mohini has exhibited widely, including in New York, Sydney, Auckland and London, and her work is held in international collections in the UK and USA, including the UK's Arts Council Collection. She鈥檚 previously been awarded funding by the Arts Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Australia Council, Asialink and Arts NSW among others, and she has worked extensively in India and the Pacific in the past, tracing her ancestors鈥 journeys as indentured labourers under colonial rule.
Mary Costello, Exhibitions Coordinator for The Arts Institute, said:
鈥淲e had a great response from the film-making community for this, our fourth annual Arts Institute Film Commission. And Mohini鈥檚 body of work hugely impressed the selection panel, reflecting a passion for oral history and tradition, particularly in relation to the South West and its connection to wider histories. We鈥檙e really excited to see how Tall Tales and Wonder Rooms brings to life some of these iconic themes 鈥 and for audiences to share in that experience.鈥
The Arts Institute Film Commission takes place annually in celebration of its partnership with The Box. The film will be premiered in December at the Jill Craigie Cinema. It will coincide with The Arts Institute鈥檚 autumn theme of Storytelling, and a major exhibition across The Institute and The Box.
