Workshop : SoundImageCulture and Ross McElwee

Workshop with the students of SoundImageCulture

On the interface between anthropology, audiovisual and visual arts

SoundImageCulture (SIC) is a well-known workshop in the Communauté Flamande made up of artists who utilize their experience to assist other artists in the development of their audiovisual projects. For the last seven years, SIC has been helping ten artists yearly to carry out their projects. Each year, the participants receive intense training for nine months and attend seminars and discussions provided by the organisation’s network of artists. The workshop partici- pants are asked to create a project proposal. All audiovisual art may be part of the proposal, however the proposed projects are often documentaries or videos.

A year at SIC is separated into three parts. The first three months are filled with intensive seminars given by seven artists from SIC and including international guest speakers on the topics of visual anthropology. The participants then use this knowledge and environment to help them in the following trimester as they begin to work, conduct research and develop their ideas. The last three months are used for post-production and the completion of the final work. At the end of the year, each artist presents their project to the public at Beursschouwburg in Brussels.

During the workshop, each participant works alongside and engages in intense dialogue with a personal coach. In addition, there are also collective discussions that explore issues covering the field of anthropology, audiovisual art and visual art. Participants come from all over and each year the range of projects reflects the diversity of the participants. At regular intervals, guests (artists, theorists, creators) are invited to provide their feedback.

The distinguished participants of SIC are Mary Jiménez, An van Dienderen, Els Opsomer, Laurent Van Lancker, Didier Volckaert, Eric Pauwels, Patrick Codenys and Rudi Maerten. They each have a wide range of experience which they share with students. They are active professionals who teach at La Cambre, produce films and have been awarded different prizes. They are artists who welcome new influences and enjoy exchanging knowledge with other artists.

SIC has a nomadic infrastructure that works in collaboration with Pianofabriek, Argos, the Beursschouwburg and Filmer à tout prix.

Flagey, Filmer A Tout Prix, Gsara