I am Dora x LSFF: ‘Is it Peculiar That She Twerk In The Mirror?’
I am Dora is a curatorial initiative exploring how women interact and identify with one another through film
I am Dora is a curatorial initiative exploring how women interact and identify with one another through film. As a part of London Short Film Festival, Jemma Desai, founder of I am Dora held a panel discussion with Aimee Cliff (freelance music and culture journalist), Emma Dabri (writer and PhD researcher, exploring how mixedness has come to be gendered) and Grace Ladoja (photographer and filmmaker, including work with FKA Twigs) on how women portray themselves through music videos.
The discussion raised important questions about women and the current wave of feminism. With stars such as Beyonce promoting feminism, are young people being introduced to a watered down version of the issues women are fighting against or is the promotion a helpful push to reveal the problem? The complexity of modern feminism makes it harder to define, with some believing anything a woman does as a feminist act. However, any woman having to change herself to please someone or any woman attacking another, for expressing her own identity, is surely anti-feminist.
A large debate throughout was the sexual representation of women and if the sexuality a woman shows is powerful or submissive. An audience member noted that you can sell music and still be remembered without sexualising it. Legendary artists such as Annie Lennox are still remembered and applauded without having to conform to the music industry image expectations. However, nudity and sex can be used as a representation of their art, enhancing their work.
Nudity should be optional but not used as a selling point. Many young artists are being sexualised for record sales, with many people putting their image before their art. Sia’s recent decision, to not show her face and let dancers such as Maddie Ziegler express her identity, is a radical choice within the music industry, taking the focus away from image and truly showing her artistic ability. Her personal choice is bold and powerful and this anonymity being a popular choice for many wanting to avoid fame and be appreciated for their work. FKA Twigs was originally rarely pictured, with her first video Hide showing nude hips with a ‘boy flower’ covering her. Many people originally thought this was a male body and the nudity is used artistically, the image, as expressed by Ladoja, is not sexy, despite being sexual. Her confidence has grown across her career and she represents herself as being in control, always the focus of her own videos, such as Papi Pacify, the sexuality isn’t as highlighted as Twigs herself. There is a feeling of confidence and ownership when artists choose themselves as the focus. Aimee Cliff chose to show Nicki Minaj’s Lookin Ass music video, which she stated shows her ‘shooting an AK-47 at the male gaze’. Minaj’s general distaste towards the camera and self-love is emancipating , and women acting proudly showing off for themselves is empowering for any self-conscious woman to see.
The panel discussion took many turns and through watching the videos many issues of gender, race and feminism came up. I feel it would have been interesting to include male music videos and explore the comparison to see if it’s the industry sexualisation or the treatment of women encouraging this conversation. The discussion will be an ongoing one and will sprout many more topics and issues, however, it’s hard to judge a woman through her music videos. Self-expression is personal but how much control do you have when becoming successful?
Check out I am Dora for information on future film screenings
Five Outstanding Composers To Watch
The past year of cinema has been accompanied by some magnificent film scores, with the composers perfectly shaping the unforgettable images of 2014.
The past year of cinema has been accompanied by some magnificent film scores, with the composers perfectly shaping the unforgettable images of 2014 .
1. Alex Ebert
Lead singer and songwriter of Ima Robot and Edward Sharpe and the Magentic Zeros, Alex Ebert, won the 2014 Golden Globe for Best Original Score for his work on J.C. Chandor’s film All is Lost. Ebert has reunited with Chandor to work on A Most Violent Year. The stand out original track America For Me shows Eberts anger towards what is to be a good citizen while you also support negatives by being this. It’s interesting to see this personal song within the soundtrack for a film on corruption. The whole soundtrack is influenced by America in the 1980’s and is a character study of the lead Abel, creating a calming yet powerful outcome.
2. Mica Levi
The lead singer from Micachu and The Shapes this year stepped into film composing. She created A beautiful soundtrack for Under The Skin perfectly enhancing Scarlett Johansson’s seductive performance whilst also creating an unsettling feeling throughout. The track ‘Love’ is the perfect example of this, the slow paced beauty being contrasted by seemingly tense chords pulls together the desired image of the unusual.
Levi said of her own work that 'it's not necessarily going to sound very nice. It's supposed to be physical, alarming, hot.' This is definitely achieved through the use of the viola being able to contour the flow of the film. I would be interested in following Levi through her work if she did any further composing.
3. Justin Hurwitz
Hurwitz is a long time friend of Whiplash director Damien Chazelle, so it was no surprise for him to be asked to help create the soundtrack for the Oscar nominated film. The duo have previously collaborated on what started as a student film 'Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench'. From there their collaborative friendship has bloomed and Hurwitz is expected on Chazelle's next Singing In The Rain style feature. Hurwitz says planning for the soundtrack of Whiplash began even before filming which is unusual in film production. Hurwitz got to improvise and play his own music with fantastic big band pieces. The music is the glue to the film, without the perfect soundtrack it wouldn't be what it is.
A whole film score composed of a drum beat is an unusual route to go down, but for the Alejandro González Iñárritu masterpiece Birdman Sánchez has completed this major task. The constant drumming helps you see the theatre style of the film and confuses the line between reality and fantasy. Michael Keaton's performance is amplified by the beat following him round, showing his mental instability and the pressure he faces. Birdman was nominated for Best Original Score, but has now been disqualified due to the ratio of classical music to original score.
5. Jonny Greenwood
Radiohead lead guitarist, computer programmer, composer. Johnny Greenwood has an impressive resume behind him. His first work as a composer was on the documentary Bodysong, showing the story of human life through found footage. He's gone onto score many films thereafter. His most recent work is on Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice. This is the third time he has scored one of Anderson's films. The score was recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the soundtrack includes an unreleased Radiohead song. There are elements of the score which are dreamlike and subtle but the soundtrack itself contrasts this with funky beats. Greenwoods work is forever developing as he makes his mark as one of the greatest modern musicians.
Easy Riding with Action Bronson
Ahead of the upcoming launch of his album Mr. Wonderful, New York rapper Action Bronson released the single Easy Rider last summer much to the delight of hip hop lovers everywhere.
Sampling from Mazhar ve Fuat’s 70s psychedelic rock track Adımız Miskindir Bizim, Easy Rider makes for a great chill-out tune with the power to transport its listeners to a land of desert sunsets, warm evening breezes, and motorcycle road trips much like those portrayed in the track’s eclectic music video.
Speaking behind the scenes during the filming of the music video, the big man himself described Easy Rider as a culmination of all his thoughts and feelings. With help from photographer and filmmaker Tom Gould, we are taken on a crazy trip through Bronson’s mind.
Set for release on the March 24, Mr. Wonderful has become one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2015; with the likes of Mark Ronson and The Alchemist featuring as producers, the albumpromises to take Action Bronson from his current status as promising music industry up-and-comer to fully fledged hip hop deity.
Whiplash: The Most Intense Cinematic Journey of the Year
Damien Chazelle’s new feature, Whiplash is one of the most thrilling films of the last decade.
Andrew Neiman (Milles Teller) is an aspiring jazz drummer under the critical command of conductor Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons). Fletcher pushes him as he works himself into a whole fury of blood, sweat and tears. The tension Whiplash brings will have any viewer out of breath trying to keep up with the emotions of Neiman. It’s cut to the pace of the beat keeping you constantly involved with the music and soundtrack. The cinematography brilliantly enhances the jazz look, making you feel fully immersed. Chazelle originally could not get the funding for the film, so instead made a short film version. After screening at Sundance, it won the short prize and he got the money to make the feature, now nominated for five Oscars. This includes the well-deserved best supporting actor for Simmons, his intense and torturous performance really pulls the piece together, constantly demanding your attention. You cannot look away. This is the type of film you really need to see in the cinema while you can, you cannot get the full experience of this in your own home, and what better way to support the film industry than watching one of the films of the year.
ROOMS 16: The Fashtons The Cover Artists Uncovered
Photos by Alexandra Uhart
It’s that time of the year to join the festive reflections on togetherness. We here wouldn’t of course, resist revisiting the values of family when it’s novel and tantalising.
For ROOMS 16, we are welcomed to tap into the creative unity of The Fashtons – formed by husband-and-wife artists Ben Ashton and Fiona Garden. Ben being a figurative painter and installation artist, Fiona a music and fashion photographer: each is as adept in their own fields as in their collaboration.
I will always be drawn to the play of light on bone. The architecture of a face or body, as it stands, in light, whether made up or bare, discovered or intended, is what inspires me. It’s a constant wonder that in that interplay between light and shadow, I can capture the essence of a person – it’s an endless marvel.—Fiona Garden
I feel with every self-portrait I produce, I am constantly reminded of my own mortality and as a result I have become fixated upon the idea of legacy. I have plundered the history of painting, initially to teach myself to paint but after that I would always turn to the security of history to make my next decision.—Ben Ashton
For now, you can only read the eloquent and revealing exchange with Ben and Fiona in ROOMS 16, our hand-selected gift to you. And Merry Christmas for that matter.
ROOMS 16, out now