Mobility Project Part 1: Here, There

The material gathered in the setting of an international art residency is the starting point of this documentary, and the title given to it, “Mobility Project” aims at underlying the privilege that the multi-cultural rhetoric of any art residency implies.
There is a discrepancy between the common idea that artists can go from one residence to the next and the reality that artists from non-Western countries face. It comes to the fore in this portrait video, which presents a couple whose life was drastically altered by a political move from their government, and their path changed in an unforeseen way.
More than 30 artists from all over the world present themselves in their own language after choosing their framing. Overlapping their words, the main narration evokes another person whose fuzzy silhouette only appears in the second half of the video. Seeking to present the voice of those who don’t fit in, the focus is set on the particular case of this artist couple coming from a country under authoritarian rule, where women are not allowed to sing in public. The freedom they experienced in Europe was nothing but fortunate since their closely observed actions sparked a series of reactions from the authorities in their home country, and out of fear of being put in jail or worse upon their return, they chose to stay and ask for political asylum. They insisted on participating in this project with the condition of not showing their faces. It then appeared that only a privileged person could associate her image with her words.