Anita is a Summer Study Abroad Alumni and part of 2nanas duo. She studied Political Economy at King's College in London and took the Summer Study Abroad Filmmaking Course at London College of Communication, UAL. We chatted to Anita about collaboration and working across different disciplines.
2nanas - intransmission
Somewhere along this process, I’ve decided to follow what I was always passionate about but never had the confidence to try. The experience at UAL was an important bridge for me - moving from theory to the actual practice of filmmaking
Tell us a little about yourself, what sort of work do you do? Could you talk a little about 2nanas?
2nanas is an interdisciplinary collective created a bit over 2 years ago by myself and Dalia Somi. We initially just wanted to collaborate on one project - 'intransmission' but as we started to work together, we realised there is much more to it than we initially thought and so 2nanas was created.
We collaborate with different individuals and organisations to deliver works that encourage participation and engage new audiences in the field of visual arts, sound art and creative community projects. As a duo we are mostly interested in working with trans-disciplinary structures and concepts revolving around the dichotomy between digital and analogue.
Personally, I’ve been mainly focused on experimenting with different forms of video work but there’s still a lot more I want to learn, especially in the field of creative coding and interactive technology. I enjoy being on the production as well as the creative side and so thus far I’ve been trying to do a bit of both!
What is it like to work as part of a duo, how do you approach collaboration?
For all the projects we’ve done so far as 2nanas we were working remotely from each other most of the time and I don’t believe it would be possible if it weren’t for the high level of mutual trust and sense of responsibility between us.
I’ve worked on a couple of projects alone, but I feel like we manage to develop something way more special when it’s the two of us. We know each other really well and we have a similar way of perceiving things so our ideas complement each other in a way.
Generally, the concept of collaborative work has been key to us from the beginning. Every project is different though and each time it’s an interesting challenge to figure out the right way of working with others. I think most of all it’s important to have a clear understanding of each other’s sensibilities and an honest line of communication.
What did you discover while you were in London? Did this experience lead you to the work you do today?
Before taking the Filmmaking Course at UAL, I spent three years in London studying Political Economy. These very really formative years in fact, which made me realize that as much as I was interested in some topics, it wasn’t anything I wanted to pursue as a career.
At some point I started sneaking into Film Studies classes, reading all the suggested material for each session and getting super involved in discussions, which I wasn’t really doing for my course. Somewhere along this process, I’ve decided to follow what I was always passionate about but never had the confidence to try. The experience at UAL was an important bridge for me - moving from theory to the actual practice of filmmaking.
After finishing the course at UAL I went to Vietnam where I was given an opportunity to work for Hanoi Doclab - a center for documentary and experimental film ran by some truly amazing people who convinced me to develop my first project. I ended up staying in Hanoi for three years and during this time 2nanas was created.
What sort of work did you make whilst you were at UAL? Has this informed your more recent practice?
My group filmed a short documentary on the rehabilitation process for people struggling with addiction. It’s hard to remember all the details as it was nearly six years ago but we interviewed individuals at different stages of this process and talked to some organizations providing recovery programmes in London. We heard some difficult stories making the production part quite an overwhelming experience at times.
Aside from the course itself, we were discussing a lot with our tutors the questions of accessibility and social inclusion in the arts. This remained an important subject for me. As 2nanas we have been trying to develop ideas that are participatory and open to different audiences. Equally, our teams are not limited to artists but include professionals from different fields who share the desire to work on this sort of projects.
What sort of projects have you been working on recently?
It has been a bit of an off year for us. We started working on one very exciting project (an idea expanded from “synescape performance”) but with me finishing my Master’s degree in Arts Management in Milan and Dalia focusing on work with migrant communities in Paris, we just didn’t have enough time or brainspace to make it happen.
I think this year was actually really important for us in terms of reflecting on the work we have done and what sort of collective we want to be. We have a clearer idea of our goals for the future and how we want to achieve them.
I am going to Melbourne soon and this will be the first time since 2nanas was created that we will be living in the same place. We’ve promised each other that 2020 will be completely focused on 2nanas and I am really excited to fully dive into it and see how things develop.
