NEW MEDIA Images - Courtesy of artist. Writer - Emma Warburton, arts writer and researcher.
Meriem Bennani: Engineering Environments Discussions on immersive video installations Emma Rae Warburton: How do you describe
for different production companies, I started
yourself as an artist?
experimenting with videos I would casually take
Meriem Bennani: I make video installations, but I
on my phone, or videos from the internet on current
don’t usually define myself. In the past couple of
events or famous music videos. As I played these
years, I’ve focused on a practice that starts with a
videos, I would manipulate them. I then realised that
documentary—like interest in a subject or person.
they had power. Video is very powerful, and when
And then I film the subject or people in question.
you modify a famous video, the viewer questions
Which then turns into a video of around 30 minutes.
what it is, which isn’t real anymore. I then realised the
That’s been kind of a consistent pattern. But the
potential of storytelling with video, and decided to
video is not documentary; the second I start editing
explore that. Before that I mostly worked in drawing
it, it becomes something else. And then it’s usually
and animation.
presented in a multi-channel and multi-screen installation.
EW: Humour and comedy are integral to your practice. Can you talk about the importance of
Video is very powerful, and when you modify a famous video, or when you modify a video and the viewer questions what is and isn’t real anymore, it has a lot of potential
EW: If the starting point is a subject or a person,
humour in your videos?
what are you trying to arrive at? It there a common
MB: The humour is mostly intentional, but sometimes
goal for your videos?
it’s not. It’s just how I naturally approach subjects.
MB: I’ve been living in New York for ten years. I do
MB: I’m really not goal oriented. I start intuitively,
I think we all have a default mode of expression. If
travel a lot and spend a lot of time in Morocco. It’s
being attracted to someone or something that I
a subject interests me, I naturally approach it with
a luxury, but if you can have access to two centres
come in contact with. Then I spontaneously film
humour It’s also a way of warming up to more serious
instead of one, I think that’s very helpful. Wherever
that person or thing. Through editing, I then come
subjects in my work. The way the audience interacts
you stay for a long time ends up feeling like a centre
closer to understanding what it is about the person
with humour mirrors my own interests in humour.
which I think is very dangerous. When I spend too
or thing that interests me. Usually, my work arrives
This makes the work more accessible to people, as
much time in New York, it is harder to get out of the
at questions rather than conclusions and is about
well as for me. I am very serious about the subjects
bubble of being there, which is why I love going
universal concepts.
that I approach. Although there is humour, I’m not
back and forth.
interested in being sarcastic or ironic. I try to have EW: What is the role of photography in your work?
a very full-hearted approach to things. I don’t use
I think my work is very much about of someone that
MB: I take photos every day. I take a lot of photos.
humour to create distance. I use it to be playful. My
belongs to a diaspora - someone who misses where
But only with my phone. So, I don’t really think about
work is pretty optimistic and positive, which also is
they’re from. But I also grew up in Morocco. I wasn’t
the medium.
not planned.
born away. So my work moves between this feeling
EW: Where did your interest in video as a medium
EW: Where do you predominantly live right now?
made from the inside, from within Morocco. I am
begin?
Does your location affect your creativity including
very interested in the idea of having two gazes at
MB: When learning how to do special effects
your resulting work?
once as well as the space in between them.
of being away from where I’m from, but also as being
138 tribe
