It's wonderful to see Works Without Walls blossom into something really special, thanks to all you readers and supporters. Sharing the wealth of talent in the South East is a real privilege, and today we’re super excited, and honoured, to showcase Katia Ganfield’s work.
Katia Ganfield is an artist and award winning filmmaker from London, by way of Brighton. She currently resides in a vast guardianship property near Cambridge with her kitten, Vlad. The subject matters of experience and emotion are key to her work, often making the audience the subject of the film. Katia repeatedly breaks with convention and makes us contemplate our own screen presence with often unsettling results. Specialising in Dada, subliminal messages and their effects on the mind; Ganfield's films have been screened across the world and has collaborated with the likes of Dazed, Peroni, M&C Saatchi as well as a huge catalogue of incredible music promos and underground projects. Want to get to know her a little better? Here’s a pretty ace introduction to Katia’s world, courtesy of Playback Festival via the ICA.
Credit: Katia for ICA supported Random Acts c/o PLAYBACK
My name is Katia Ganfield aka No Tape Inside. I express my art through the medium of film, and my work is based around playing with themes of object and subject; making the audience as important to my work as the visuals on screen. My films are heavily based around feeling and different techniques that can be used within cinema to allow the screen to be a mirror of the audience’s inner psyche. If my films make people think in a different way, or feel a different way, then I have achieved what I set out to do.
When did you start creating films?
I’ve always been fascinated with film since I was a young child. I’m a fantastical creature, and enjoy exploring and experiencing different worlds and ideas. I guess some people could call it a form of escapism – much like going in to a dark room to see a gig, jumping about amidst other sweaty bodies. It’s a healthy thing to take your self out of the conventional ways of society and open yourself to other things, other ideas and possibly even an elevated consciousness. I always was a kid who asked why, who questioned everything and everyone. I started off in music journalism, which naturally evolved into film as I was working at publications such as Dazed and NME who were starting up their video platform at the time. I was in the right place at the right time – that plays a big part in things. I was a hard worker too, at 15 I was everywhere, going to all the gigs, chatting to as many people as I could and doing as much work as physically was possible. It’s funny to think that when I was younger, I would blush and start sweating at the thought of answering a teacher’s question in school. Have you ever experimented with any other art forms?
Always! It’s so important artistically to express through different mediums. I think it’s important to challenge yourself constantly, and if you fear something, do it anyway and see where it takes you. I’ve played in bands, painted, danced and all. And yes, sometimes it ain’t the best it can be but, in Beckett’s words: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better”. As an artist, we shouldn’t fear failure. It’s hard sometimes – I personally put so much of my soul and my emotion into my work, but it’s an important thing to let go of the ego and transcend fear and attachment. We’re all human and we will feel those things… we acknowledge them, and let them be. These feelings of fear, anxiety and doubt will never go away, but with experience and time, we as individuals know better how we can personally deal with them. It’s easier to suppress these things sometimes, and the fear of the unknown can be a pretty scary thing, but confronting these things and acknowledging them, in my opinion, is the best thing to do.
Very wise words, failure is only the beginning sometimes... Would you say you try and get specific themes across in your work?
Over time, I naturally evolved my work through constantly doing and making new work, collaborating with different people and pushing myself artistically. Through this I’ve found a pattern within my work, which is mental health and exploring ways in which we perceive the media and how it affects the individual. It’s an exciting time to be an artist, in a world fueled by social media and technology – it’s very dystopian. As a result, I feel like this has created a society, which has further impacted mental health negatively – nothing like this world has ever seen before. This work is important to me and essentially I want to help other people through my work – whether it’s creating more understanding / awareness around the topic or providing something that people can connect to and feel inspired by. The next project I’m working on is a Sci-Fi short on topics of artificial intelligence and mental health. I put my soul in to all the work I do, and in a way, through creating this work, it often reminds me of who I am. When I don’t edit or create for a little while, I start to fizzle out and forget who I am. My personality is my work and my work is my personality – it’s a marriage of the two. I live to work rather than work to live.
Who are your favourite artists?
I love Dada – Marcel Duchamp and Kurt Schwitterz and then the neo Dadaists like Genesis P–Orridge. Transgressive / No Wave cinema was a big inspiration to me too (Nick Zedd, Richard Kern, Lydia Lunch, Jim Jarmusch) – they made films because they loved it – it was pure, rough, raw and exciting. They were fuelled by the idea of breaking all the rules and making a point – their work was riled with so much passion and soul. Keeping the artistic spirit alive through your medium is so important – do whatever you need to do to keep that flame burning. Derek Jarman, Lynch, Gasper Noe and Alejandro Jodorowsky have all had big influences on my work.
How do you overcome creative blocks?
They’re different every single time, but it’s always good to remember that we live on this gigantic world with SO MUCH happening, there is so much to go out and be inspired by – especially now we have the internet...it’s limitless! Sometimes it’s just that thing of a little push to get yourself out the house and going to a cinema or a museum. Another thing that helps is just being nice to yourself. It’s ok to have a day in bed and just relax, cook a nice meal or meditate. There’s no need to punish yourself when you don’t feel creative, but it’s good to be able to know how to switch it on and off – everyone has their own little rituals.
You've got such a breadth of work, and it's all so incredibly varied, from music videos, experimental shorts, commercials to gig recordings. Are there any particular elements you enjoy working with most?
Music videos are a great way to experiment with creating different worlds and a great opportunity for collaborations with different artists and helping bring their vision to life. I think the best part of being an artist is being able to channel these different ideas and bring them to a material form. Short films are my next step as a director where it’s now time to hone into MY world. Eventually I want to be directing features.
You've also worked with a range of amazing musicians, creatives and artists. Are there any particular films that have been your favourite to work on?
My most recent (and first) short OTHER CONSPIRACIES for CH4’s Random Acts was an incredible opportunity. I had support from the ICA and was able to call in an incredible collective of artists to collaborate on the project with. It was a dark time for me, and it produced a dark film (with ultimately a positive message, that we are all our own ‘gods’). This film helped me come out of the dark hole I was close to submitting to, and to be able to channel this and express it through visual means – it was incredibly therapeutic.
You work a lot with VHS, and it's become an important part of your filmmaking style. What appeals to you filming using analog and how would you compare it to filming with more modern, HD equipment ?
VHS plays a big part in my work, and is such a beautiful medium to work within. I love the play with light and the natural grain. I used to take my VHS camera everywhere with me – to gigs, parties and shoots. It was the instrument I built my career with. It’s easy to pick up and start shooting with, in that way you can capture those moments that are real. There’s also something interesting in the way people interact with VHS / DV cameras, there’s a sense of nostalgia about it and people seem to relax when in front of the lens – it’s a bit more fun and home movie type which makes the subject in front of the camera more at ease. Filming in HD is a great treat as you’re able to capture the details within the image in a format which is easier to manipulate in post production – that way you can take a raw image and refine the details to allow it to complement the project further.
Part 02 of Katia's interview will later this week. We will also be sharing some more of her films later on this week. Until then, have a look at her website or visit her instagram for more of her amazing work.
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