Sacatar Open Call Group Projects 2021

“Pharmakoi”

The creation of our hybrid film. In “Pharmakoi. Let the sea take away all the evil,” non-humans mount the stage. For centuries humans viewed themselves as the puppeteers of the material and animal world. We bridle horses, water and forests. We rein and exploit objects and animals for our (mental) comfort and survival. However, in a drastically changing natural environment, we touch upon the borders of our control. We realize we are no more puppeteer than puppet, played by the inanimate forces around us. Inspired by the ‘Parliament of Things’ of the French philosopher Bruno Latour, our film attempts to open up to the stories of unheard non-human beings. We do not share a language, but we share a world. It is crucial to put ourselves in the shoes of the non-human Other, to figure out the intricate tangle of strings between us and to rechoreograph our interplay.

We developed the hybrid documentary that (began) four years ago during my previous residency at Sacatar. The group residency offered a wonderful chance to come together with six creative talents: three artists from Brazil, three from Belgium. I perceived the residency as a time to conduct research and practical experiments under the umbrella of the film, each within his/her own field. Camila would focus on production, co-writing and local communication, Alejandro’s research revolved around sound design and composition inspired by the local sound universe, Jamile would dive into puppetry and character development of the non-human protagonists, Eric’s focus would be on cinematography for documentary and live performance, Maarten would elaborate mechanics inspired by local techniques and materials, and I would co-write with Camila, conduct research and experiment with participative performance with automata in public space, for and by the local community. I imagined it as a collective laboratory.

Seen in retrospect, the ambition was too high, and the expectations were never sufficiently discussed. I realized that result-directed production and process-investigative research do not go hand in hand. For the future, we realized, it is crucial to engage a skilled line producer who offers the organizational spine of the creative work. Despite our creative and organizational struggle, Sacatar has been amazing and a warm environment for us to find our way and answers. We had terrific working spaces, and there was an abundance of tools for our building work. We were in the best of conditions to do our creative work.

The “Pharmakoi” project happened in a hybrid way, across several languages: audiovisual, performance, happening, theater... The project was completely permeated by the local conditions of Itaparica. Living in Bahia is a gift, an event. But I had never been to the town of Itaparica. And I couldn’t have experienced it in a better place than Sacatar. I was in a collective work process, and Sacatar offers all the conditions and inspirations for elaborating and executing work. The people who work in this space, the meeting of the sea with the river, the animals present, the smell, my room, the sky, the wind. I was able to experience what I had never experienced before, a space that offered me real conditions to experience my potential and feed my desires. That’s why I leave this space with hopes to return.

(Performance / Bahia, Brasil)

The project consisted of research for the documentary “Pharmakoi” and the capture of audiovisual material for the production of a preview teaser for the documentary. It is the nature of documentary production that it is always open to local conditions and the time and events imposed by local reality. Living with these events, with the people of Itaparica and with the imposition of the local reality, was what most affected my work in an absolutely positive way.

Erick Lawrence

(Video / Bahia, Brasil)

I came to Sacatar with fixed plans. I was going to assemble a puppet and create two others, for which I had already a decent design. I failed completely. Plans changed a lot. Trying to stick to what we planned at home was a very bad idea. It just does not work like that. I wish I had realized from the start that we should stick to the ideas but let go of the practical schedule. It didn’t allow me to live in the moment as I should have. Nevertheless, the work that came out … is beautiful and I love it a lot! It’s Itaparican. It’s gorgeous!

The residency was a soundscape journey and a great musical discovery. Through João and Erick I had the opportunity to hear a lot of Bahian Brazilian music that I had never heard before, which was a great surprise. At the same time, I had the opportunity to compose music in local styles such as pagode and arrocha, music we will use in the final project. For me the discovery of contemporary popular Bahian and Brazilian music has been a great thing. Also being able to relate to the people of Itaparica, their problems and the environment, and finally, the sea and nature: a perfect combination.

Alejandro Rivas Cottle

(Music / Bolivia > Belgium)