Female filmmaker goes digital
Oshosheni's views on women in Namibia and her exciting new virtual reality project will change the local film industry.
International Women's Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.
tjil caught up with Oshosheni Hiveluah, a Namibian filmmaker, who has been making movies since 2004 and has directed four short films, numerous documentaries, music videos and also written screenplays for others and herself. Hiveluah has been breaking boundaries in the local film industry with a multi-medium digital installation which is the first of its kind in Namibia. Hiveluah said woman need to get to that place where they are go-getters. If they see something that they want they should go and get it instead of waiting to receive. “It's a form of fear as much as it is a historical thing where we stand back and wait for instructions, and I think we need to get in that place where we break the rules and realise what we are capable of. We need to be bold and say 'I can',” says Hiveluah.
As a woman in an industry that is perceived to be male-dominated, it is important to Hiveluah for women to stand up and know that they can actually be at the forefront in the industry. “Because there is already so little support for the arts industry, we as women cannot afford to sit back and wait for something to happen because we will wait forever. We need to grab whatever we are able to and use the resources we are able to find whether its friends or family,” said Hiveluah.
To Namibian girls, Hiveluah says fear shouldn't be something that flows in their blood and they should know that it is easy to get distracted. “It is important for one to know what they want and where they would like to see themselves in life and get tangible results on those goals. Don't be scared because you will fail sometimes. but you will also succeed,” Hiveluah advised. She further said she would like to see a balance within social and government structures and more protection of women's rights. “There are still very few women in the media industry coming out and studying arts but there are very few opportunities for people to stick around. I would like us to create a fund where women will be able to tell their own stories because it reflects what women are going through from their point of view. There are many women's stories being told by men because there are no inhibitions towards them. We must take our place,” she said.
Hiveluah's idea to have a Virtual Reality (VR) exhibition came from an interest in new technologies and her curiosity as to how Namibians could adapt to them and use them on a daily basis. She has been exposed to a lot of VR activities in Johannesburg and Berlin when it was still being experimented and she got very curious and the debate around VR possibly taking over cinematography drove her interest further. “One is able to experience reality where it feels like one is right there at that minute when one isn't really, as everything is pre-recorded. But it makes one feel like they are part of a moment,” she said.
Her exhibition titled 'Evoking Origin' is a multimedia digital installation and will be on display from 16 March to 1 April at the National Art Gallery's Upper Gallery. 'Evoking Origin' is a multimedia digital installation that showcases work that explores the origin and source of life. The exhibition consists of motion pictures and 360-degree VR. Everything in this exhibition has a beginning, an original source and a set of instructions to help you navigate through whatever may come. Hiveluah and her team don't have much to showcase as they are also trying out works in progress. It's about people finding out their comfort zones because VR is not for everyone. Some consider it freaky or scary about the fact that one will be in this place turning around in a 360-degree orbit and everything appearing to be so real. “We would like to find out how the Namibian audience is comfortable with this and hopefully to find out whether it has the potential to do bigger projects as it is an expensive project to take on,” she said. The films have been shot around the city of Windhoek.
In this exhibition, we are ushered into the new digital age. 'Evoking Origin' is taken from the roots and explores Africa's understanding and handling of new media and virtual reality. The exhibition explores how it can fit into our authentic cultures and traditions. “Authenticity doesn't only have one look. This exhibition is an honest reflection of my own reality. This authenticity can be 'fabricated', 'recreated' and 'relived' in the VR experience.”
Through this exhibition we are led to question whether we are the ones making ourselves fit into this new digital age. Is it causing us to disregard our roots, origins, cultures and values? Or can it become an equally authentic part of our reality?
June Shimuoshili
tjil caught up with Oshosheni Hiveluah, a Namibian filmmaker, who has been making movies since 2004 and has directed four short films, numerous documentaries, music videos and also written screenplays for others and herself. Hiveluah has been breaking boundaries in the local film industry with a multi-medium digital installation which is the first of its kind in Namibia. Hiveluah said woman need to get to that place where they are go-getters. If they see something that they want they should go and get it instead of waiting to receive. “It's a form of fear as much as it is a historical thing where we stand back and wait for instructions, and I think we need to get in that place where we break the rules and realise what we are capable of. We need to be bold and say 'I can',” says Hiveluah.
As a woman in an industry that is perceived to be male-dominated, it is important to Hiveluah for women to stand up and know that they can actually be at the forefront in the industry. “Because there is already so little support for the arts industry, we as women cannot afford to sit back and wait for something to happen because we will wait forever. We need to grab whatever we are able to and use the resources we are able to find whether its friends or family,” said Hiveluah.
To Namibian girls, Hiveluah says fear shouldn't be something that flows in their blood and they should know that it is easy to get distracted. “It is important for one to know what they want and where they would like to see themselves in life and get tangible results on those goals. Don't be scared because you will fail sometimes. but you will also succeed,” Hiveluah advised. She further said she would like to see a balance within social and government structures and more protection of women's rights. “There are still very few women in the media industry coming out and studying arts but there are very few opportunities for people to stick around. I would like us to create a fund where women will be able to tell their own stories because it reflects what women are going through from their point of view. There are many women's stories being told by men because there are no inhibitions towards them. We must take our place,” she said.
Hiveluah's idea to have a Virtual Reality (VR) exhibition came from an interest in new technologies and her curiosity as to how Namibians could adapt to them and use them on a daily basis. She has been exposed to a lot of VR activities in Johannesburg and Berlin when it was still being experimented and she got very curious and the debate around VR possibly taking over cinematography drove her interest further. “One is able to experience reality where it feels like one is right there at that minute when one isn't really, as everything is pre-recorded. But it makes one feel like they are part of a moment,” she said.
Her exhibition titled 'Evoking Origin' is a multimedia digital installation and will be on display from 16 March to 1 April at the National Art Gallery's Upper Gallery. 'Evoking Origin' is a multimedia digital installation that showcases work that explores the origin and source of life. The exhibition consists of motion pictures and 360-degree VR. Everything in this exhibition has a beginning, an original source and a set of instructions to help you navigate through whatever may come. Hiveluah and her team don't have much to showcase as they are also trying out works in progress. It's about people finding out their comfort zones because VR is not for everyone. Some consider it freaky or scary about the fact that one will be in this place turning around in a 360-degree orbit and everything appearing to be so real. “We would like to find out how the Namibian audience is comfortable with this and hopefully to find out whether it has the potential to do bigger projects as it is an expensive project to take on,” she said. The films have been shot around the city of Windhoek.
In this exhibition, we are ushered into the new digital age. 'Evoking Origin' is taken from the roots and explores Africa's understanding and handling of new media and virtual reality. The exhibition explores how it can fit into our authentic cultures and traditions. “Authenticity doesn't only have one look. This exhibition is an honest reflection of my own reality. This authenticity can be 'fabricated', 'recreated' and 'relived' in the VR experience.”
Through this exhibition we are led to question whether we are the ones making ourselves fit into this new digital age. Is it causing us to disregard our roots, origins, cultures and values? Or can it become an equally authentic part of our reality?
June Shimuoshili
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