Crafted beauty #6: Taking Flight

An art film on my trip to Senegal (part 1)

Senegal was on my mind for a long time before I decided to go, and it has stayed on my mind for a long time after. Perhaps you have sensed this from a couple of my posts, on the people I experienced (linked here), and on a piece of art that I recognised myself in (linked here). My trip in December was stunning and deeply meaningful, and I knew that I would have to play with different art forms to be able to preserve this memory well. It is a funny thing for a writer to acknowledge that sometimes, words are not enough; and this is what led me, during the trip, to try to visually capture the beauty I was seeing; to declare, even in those moments, that I would make an art film. I’m thankful to my friend Ufo, who was patient while I made these videos, and who captured the ones that feature me. Part 2 of this film will be posted in two weeks, along with some words to explain the concept, the meaning, a little.

Enjoy, and please watch it on your laptop or a bigger screen if you can! Also, please let me know your thoughts, and share with your friends!

*The song used is “Bouyel” by Baaba Maal.

Part 2 of my art film is now available here.

Prompt:

What memory do you wish you had better preserved? Write about it and share it with me (by sending it on instagram, or replying by email if you’re a subscriber) in the next week, and it will go up on the Instagram page.