Director of experience

Koken Ergun believes art should be a means of self-discovery and expression, and this philosophy of "from self to others and from others to self" is visible in his artistic slices. In fact, this is something he has been emphasising during the workshops he recently held in Doha, the capital of Qatar. There he asked the participants to take an object that reminded them of something they loved, or even something they had a problem with, and use it as a source of inspiration for their experiments in video art.

He explained his artistic perspective to Weekend Review: "The workshops provide an introduction to video art. The concept is fairly new to the region and I aspire to help increase the understanding of that and encourage those who have an interest or a passion to get involved by showing how accessible this kind of art is. Throughout the workshops, I have shown my works and a selection of examples, particularly from the Middle East, and through a very integrated process, participants have been able to build a number of ideas every day and create a three- to four-minute final piece. It is remarkable how much can be achieved in such a short space of time."

Asked what attracted him to the video works, he said: "Originally I trained as an actor but discovered later that I didn't enjoy theatrical representation. As I began to look for something different, I came across video art installations. What struck me was how engaged the audiences were with the process. With theatre and conventional cinema, the audience is passive but video art welcomes a much more vibrant, active audience and I wanted to be part of that. I came to know about this in 2000 and started producing my own works in 2004."

Cultural aspects fascinate Ergun. He says anything that embodies a "ritual" — for example, the patriotism inspired by the national flag — or the project he is at present working on — involving beauty contests in the Philippines — stokes his imagination. Though the artist claims to draw inspiration from life's many circumstances, personal experiences have always moulded his ideas.

"Most of my work comes from something I have had a problem with or is about overcoming a trauma. Take the flag as an example. The flag is all about nation-building, about people coming together to overcome the trauma that has torn their country apart and then rebuilding their identity. I am genuinely inspired by that kind of emotion," he says.

But what decides the agenda during pre-project set-up? "For me," Ergun says, "the first phase of creating a piece of video art comes with choosing a subject, finding a cultural ritual that pulls me in. Video art begins with understanding your subject; my first priority is to embrace the culture I am trying to capture, so I set about making friends with these people, by hearing their stories. After achieving this kind of understanding, I carry out the rest of the shooting process."

Not one to let the creative process be stifled by deadlines, Ergun chooses to "work slowly", preferring to do no more than one project a year. "The maximum each work takes me is about six months. Editing takes about three to four months on average," he says.

When told that video art lovers eagerly wait to know what coded messages underline his slices, Ergund says he strives to simplify the concept and make it spontaneous. "I encourage people to create a work that is made ‘for you' by using their personal stories. Concentrate on what comes from within and let your experiences and emotions speak for themselves. I like to unleash the freedom of imagination and use experiences as actual tales," he says.

But why does he choose to focus on political topics? "It is a huge part of my life," Ergun says. "Being from Turkey, I was born into a culture that was politically active and engaged. Turkey has grown from being a complicated and problematic society to a consistently evolving, dynamic political model, especially when compared to other European countries. This is where my interest in politics comes from."

For Ergun, video art is a personal process. "I don't want to follow in someone else's footsteps. I believe it's important to have your own creative direction to produce original work. Having said that, I find artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila incredibly talented and admire what she does," he said.

As more and more videographers enter the fray with modern equipment, Ergun has found a unique way to stand out. "I still use a camera my father had bought me in 2000," Ergun says. "I think the beauty of it is that it's something anyone could use. And that's what I'm trying to show with my participants here in Doha. I am very passionate about handheld aesthetics and their simplicity."

Though Ergun still uses a camera bought in 2000, he keeps abreast of the latest knowledge and techniques of videography by embracing experiences and meeting people from different walks of life and hearing their stories. "Actually all of this constantly improves my skills and makes me come up with new ideas," he said.

Asked if he had any plans to take some videos in the UAE and if so, what the idea was and where he would shoot, he replies: "I have never been to the UAE, despite the fact that the idea is in my mind. The UAE is somewhere I would love to go to soon; I just need to find the right time."

Ergun's piece on the Filipino beauty contestants is in post-production. "It is something that is very ritualistic in the country. It is fascinating to see how respected and admired these contestants are within their own culture. I would love to do more workshops like these. I believe the work the Doha Film Institute is doing is important in giving something back to the community and promoting arts and culture in the region," he says.