indiegogo/projects/expanded-symphony We would like to carry out a project in Kumarakapay, an indigenous village in the Venezuelan Great Savanna, that wouldn’t exist without globalization. Kumarakapay was founded in 1942 after the Pemon tribe inhabitants of the zone needed a common place to build an Adventist church, and settle, after being nomads for more than a thousand years. Ever since the foundation of the town, the Pemon have changed their practices radically. Nowadays they live from tourism, arts and crafts sales, restaurants and hostels that accommodate tourists that are traveling through the “Canaima National Park”. We came across Kumarakapay after listening to a radio show that featured their childrens orchestra. Since then, we have been working on developing a workshop in which we would empower their artistic sensibilities in order to create narratives and music. The goal of the workshop is to teach them how to build their own film projectors and musical instruments out of things that they can find in their environment in order to make live cinema. The activities of the workshop will enable the participants to express their perception of their environment and their relationship to it. They will be exhorted to develop a concept, a visual music sheet (or graphic script), find materials within the environment that can be used to make imagery, rehearse, assign roles and improvise. These activities will become means of self-awareness that attempt to bring them closer to their roots as they will be encouraged to use their understanding of their past and present in order to convey their sensorial storyline. The final piece, a live performed film, will thus be a reflection of their culture, history and society. The documentary will follow the children’s discoveries that the workshop will take them into. The workshop will be our gateway to their lives and how their living relates to their artistic expression. What We Need & What You Get Well be working with artist from Mexico and Venezuela. 35% percent of the funds will be spent in transportation, accomodation and food during 4 weeks in Kumarakapay. Another 20% will be invested in the realization of the experimental film workshop. Although most of the materials will be found in nature, we need to purchase lightbulbs, contact mics, art supplies and other materials in order to teach the workshop. 35% of the budget will be directed towards the costs of the documentary production. Gear rental and post production are the main costs in this part of the budget. We want to make a film that is at least 60 minutes long, that is capable of participating in film festivals and that can be screened in as many formats as possible. 10% of the budget is allocated towards distribution and advertising of the film. Another 10% will be used as contingency money. If its not used for contingency, the money will be added to the distribution budget. If the goal is not met. All the money raised will be prioritized towards the making of the workshop. The Impact The documentary’s goal is to promote accessible ways of self expression and give the Kumarakapayans an archive for their history. The film will unfold through the process of making the The Expanded Symphony that will be the end result of the workshop. Our concern for alternative technologies, means and symbiosis between the analog and digital technology, has made us realize the strong impact a documentary can have in strengthening communication. We believe that the medium can shed light to new understandings of cultures, traditions and values that are important for any inhabitant of the globalized world. It is undeniable that even the most foreign lands have changed due to globalization. Things that were completely irrelevant to some societies around the world are now commonly accepted if not embedded to their lifestyle. Therefore we must find ways to take globalization as a call for the need of preservation and celebration of traditions, values and folklore. Even though the Pemon have inhabited the savanna for more than a thousand years their documented history only goes back to the 1900’s. After talking to the elders and chiefs of Kumarakapay, we understood their need to become reconciled with their traditions as well as to build a sense of historical consciousness within the younger generations. Their lack of a past is something that will dominate the narrative of the film. Throughout the workshop they will be asked to portray their history, culture and traditions and these will give us an insight on how they see the world, allowing their own narrative to be the line of the documentary. Like a film inside of a film. Other Ways You Can Help Every penny counts!!
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 21:14:28 +0000
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