“I Will” - Foreign Portrait is a short film and dance performance on immigration. It's a dance-theater piece to be realized in a visual arts gallery, with the scenography comprising a photographic exhibition and multimedia installation that narrates a poetic, transformative migratory journey. But we could also say that this is a photographic exhibition carried out with a multimedia installation with live performance of dance theater, portrait photography and cinema. Depending on when the public visits the gallery, this may give the viewer a different interpretation of the format of the work. During business hours, the gallery is open to visitors with audio-visual media that will tell a story along its route. On weekend evening, the film's actor is at the gallery performing, bringing to life the images displayed on his own performing body. In this case, the actor greets the audience at the gallery's entrance, introduces the theme, and invites them to enter the space and embark on a journey through the displayed elements.

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Conceptually, its a reflection on the cultural, social and political concept of edges, borders, belonging, integration and acceptance. Based on the poetic testimony of an immigrant artist who has recently arrived in Europe, the project starts from a personal context, passes through social and political contexts to reach an archetypal level of conflict. Wouldn't the migratory movement be part of human nature, currently imprisoned by cultural and political contexts? What are the margins for? What defines our borders? How to deal with these conflicts that are established in these intersections?

 

This is a project created by Brazilian director Will Lopes and developed with Bosnian photographer Dino Rekanović and the Vienna Art Association Ditiramb. It is a work in progress that has been under development since March 2021, with the creation of a short movie and photographic experiments. 

 

In August 2021, the artists worked with Italian filmmaker Ilaria Vergani for a week in an artistic residency in Vienna. In October 2021, the project had its first production as a photographic exhibition at the Rotlicht Analog Photography Festival in Vienna. In March 2022, the project participated in the first Mosaique event by the cultural space Das Lot, to showcase ideas and processes and exchange raw work states. 

 

In 2023, the short film project received support from the City of Vienna (MA7) and was filmed in July of the same year. Currently, the artists are preparing the final editing of the short movie to be completed in April 2024. In this stage, a new page of the project opens: to transform the final film and photographic exhibition into a dance performance and multimedia installation to tour internationally, passing through cities in border conflicts and immigration issues. This stage is still waiting to have its premiere.

Produced by: .ditiramb
Script, Performance and Direction: Will Lopes
Colaboration: Ilaria Vergani

1st Assistent: Andressa Viana

2nd Assistent: Rafael Frasão

Photography & Camera: Dino Rekanović
Camera 2: Amar Tahirović
Camara Assistance: Bojan Stekić
Assistance: Goran Bećirčić

Editing and Color correction: Amar Tahirović

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Photography & Photo Performance: Christoff Wiesinger