Quiet Little Paki.
Dirty Paki, Stinky Paki, Stupid Paki , S*itty Paki, Dumb Paki, F*uckin Paki, B*stard Paki, Paki Paki, all variations on the verb of being 'A Quiet Little Paki'. To know one's place in the social order of things. Where does the fault lay? With the individual or projected nurtured ideologies and erased histories.
This project conflates two ideas I have been working on for several years. The first a form of reflective journaling that I have re-written many times called, 'Why there's no Paki's in Art'. This title may seem provactive, but it's content plots my journey through the arts,, embedded within a wider context. |
The second idea incorporated, was a specific character with specific tropes, functions, and an intentionaly evolving production method. I created this with visual reference and homage to Kiyoko, Masaru, & Takashi from the Katsuhiro Otomo's Graphic Comic series and Animation, Akira(1988).
Together they build the representation of an outspoken 'Voice', that states it's truth as it see's it. It doesn't cower in the corner, or fall into the hierachical line waiting for it's turn. It doesn't give it's authority over. It see's itself as an equal. This project has been allowed to wander both in it's content and construction. there's an improvisational element to it. I will give attention to a thought I've thought many times, then jot this down, making additions and alterations until it makes me chuckle. At that point I switch over to Motion Graphics techniques – sourcing from Image banks, free graphics resources, and making assets until they all sit nicely together. |
I like the way the project naturally moved into a post-race / post-identity space real quick, to a shared space of simply being a human on a dynamic planet.
The audio was recorded in a similar loose fashion. I built a database of field recordings, atmospheres, and any sound that grabbed my attention whilst working on any particular pieces. These were then cleaned up, processed, and composed in Audacity, and Logic Audio. |
When I think of the title of this project, It reminds me of my aspects of my journey. I guess you may call them Character building experiences. At one particular college, there was a bunch of about six guy's directing race hate toward's. The way it goes is that if I react, say, or do anything, I get the tarnished reputation, become labelled as the agressor, and most likely be the one who has to leave the college. So, I played by the book and asked the Dept. heads what I should do. To paraphrase I was told to put up with it and be a Quiet Little Paki, just like the other one's that they were used to. I didn't like the sound of that, so I jumbled up some notes from Ghandi, Sun Ra, and the Nihaang warriors and bullied them back, in a peaceful way, one at a time. They ran away like 5 year olds. At some point I was called into the office and told that a complaint had been made against me. I asked what it was they told I was smiling and saying helloto other students in a threatening way!
People will always try to buiild points off others, or more eloquently phrased, darkness will always attempt to put out the light, because it's afraid of the illumination. The biggest Irony is that I'm reasonably quite, and can be a little shy.
There was point in the making of this work, where it started moving towards becoming a working formula, or a habit. I'm not one to continously reversion a single work, I like working on collections of ideas sporadically, so I occasionally return, add,and extend this project when desired.
I can see what the ultimate form of this work could be, but I dont have the funds at the moment. So it unfolds as it does. Animation is a technological medium, whilst it references the same spaces as cinema, it shares little in critical theory. It is more attuned to the imagination than the physical world. It is an artform where we can build worlds from the ground up. |