Recently I had a chat with Shawn Sobers on Zoom to find out more about the different dimensions of collaboration in relation to his own practice as a filmmaker and educator. Of particular interest to me in his expansive film oeuvre is of course when he works together with non-artists. Guided by what is accessible online our conversation centred therefore mostly on three pieces: ‘Blood Sugar’ (2018), ‘SS Mendi’ (2014) and ‘Stories of Hidden Presence of Bath City’ (2014).
I won’t go into detail about the content of these breathtaking pieces or elaborate on who was involved in what context. Instead I will focus on what is significant to me and my quest to understand better what collaboration might mean. The first thing that struck me is that Shawn does not lose himself in small details but chose to draw up a layout by highlighting the basic structures that sustain engagement. He described how he understands the shifting terrain of collaboration by using spatial positioning as a metaphor. Words such as front or rear reminded me of players on a football pitch which was extremely useful. It almost immediately conjured up a visual image of this elastic yet often all too vague tie between the roles of artist/filmmaker/facilitator and participant/contributor.
From this I take forward that collaboration as such is not only defined through the process of working together but also by the variables in the contexts and parameters that define a project often from the start. Having studied filmmaking as part of his first degree Shawn has a real awareness of the different parts that inform production and I think this is one of the assets that he brings to the unravelling of the interaction process. As an artist/rogue filmmaker with zero or small budget l have never worked with a trained production team. To talk with Shawn has helped me to grasp that my experience with interaction ritual and artistic collaborative experimentation is defined by a specific context and is not necessarily that easily transferable to other more restrictive setups.
What does this mean when applied to planning future projects? I certainly will determine the different aspects of my role and this includes to make up my mind on how to ‘steer the ship’ so that it stays on course. I still believe that the process of making together can be fluid and should allow for co-creative experimentation as projects like ‘Blood Sugar’ (2018) or ‘Stories of Hidden Presence of Bath City’ (2014) demonstrate. Shawn also said that collaboration in one form or other is at the core of all his artistic and academic activities. Another interesting and beautiful thought to take forward. Yes, even when you facilitate or teach students it does not have to be necessarily a linear process but can evolve a creative discourse despite the clear role distribution. This is an approach that can transform not only one’s work practice but also can become a way of living. Something that I will definitely aim to take further.
Dr. Shawn Naphtali Sobers who is currently an Associate Professor of Cultural Interdisciplinary Practice at the University of the West of England started his career by working for ITV after graduating form a Film and Photography Production course at Newport. Together with Rob Mitchell and Nzingha Bowen he co-runs First Born Creatives, a media production company they set up in 1999. Over the years, the company has focused on social interest media production, community media, tv documentary, educational projects and creative arts. If you want to find out more about Shawn’s work here is a link to his website: https://shawnsobers.wordpress.com/about/
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