Motonation

The work emerged out of long-term research on socialist and collectivist body-politics. It takes the format of a 1960s biker film genre (A Girl on a Motorcycle, Psychomania), to reflect on topics like desire for freedom, individualism, collectivism and authenticity. Through these questions, it connects to a wider set of topics exploring the body-politics of performance in regions with a socialist past, and current discourse on immigration and freedom of movement within the contemporary political condition in the UK.

The work combines recorded live performance with fictional, animated sequences in a blend of immersive storytelling techniques, including 360-degree camera shots, smartphone videos, and animations made in Unreal Engine. The filming is finished, and I’m currently in the process of editing, animating and sound composition. The work will be screened at multiple locations in London, with a potential to be developed further into a performance piece. I’m looking to collaborate with various types of spaces, which engage different audiences.

Motonation is an extension of a longer term research and body of work on social, political and environmental movements throughout the 20th century that were considered (and are still considered) radical - as in having the potential to initiate social and political change - but that are often referred to as failed projects (Marxist ideas, Counter-Culture movements and Non-Aligned and Tricontinental movements)