Juul van der Laan

artistiek onderzoek - audiovisueel - documentair - film - interactief - internationaal - media - schrijven

Ik maak films. Voor mijn werk vertrek ik meestal vanuit de wetenschap en/of filosofie. Ik hecht veel waarde aan degelijk en kritisch onderzoek als onderdeel van de vorming van mijn films. Over de vorming in zijn geheel kan ik zeggen dat ik me niet laat leiden door genres en graag experimenteer met vertelvormen.


I M U pt. 1 (2022, interactive installation) - This is the first iteration of a interactive film installation in which your self image is being manipulated through live deepfake. It's a unique experience that finds itself between a rave, a mediation and some sort of horror. What is our relation to technology? What is our relation to each other?
Sophie (2022, 14′) - This is the trailer for short documentary "Sophie" on philosopher Sophie Bọ́sẹ̀dé Olúwọlé (1935 - 2018) and her work uncovering an ancient Yoruba philosopher, unfairly believed to be a pagan god. The film premiered in Nigeria at one of the critically engaged Thursday Film Series screenings at the University of Ibadan and was selected for the Lagos Book and Art Festival 2022. Furthermore it was nominated for the Lions Film Award 2022. A live performance/lecture will be based on it and presented at the 2023 Nacht van de Filosofie in Amsterdam in collaboration with philosopher Renate Schepen.
Afuwape (202x,11′) - Who are you? Sophie Oluwole asks. A filmic experiment based on my work with philosopher Sophie Oluwole and inspired by the Ifa system. To be released.
Jelili Atiku: Portrait of a Performance (2021, 4′) - A short documentary giving insight into the work of Nigerian performance artist Jelili Atiku. Indigenous practices are central to Atiku's work, as a counterpoint to colonialism and western modernities disconnect from nature. Atiku was artist in residence at the Thami Mnyele Foundation, Amsterdam. Made for ZAM magazine x Afrovibes festival 2021
Nanopolymersomes (2018, 6′) - People have always been building things. We often marvel at the huge, at the tallest constructions we've achieved to build. But what about the tiniest of scales? Researcher Joep van der Weijden builds polymersomes on a nano scale. Selected for publication at Labocine in 2018.
Relativity (2016, analogue installation) - This is the digitised version of an analogue documentary installation. 16mm DIY film loop with subtitles projected over it (slides automatised and looped). In installation text and images are constantly combined differently. Quoted words are (Albert Einstein's, Orunmila's, Voltaire's) Shot at Rotterdam Zuid. Developed, printed and edited at filmwerkplaats Rotterdam. Part of the Do It With Us exhibition at Mirta Demare Gallery in 2016.
Multiverse Ghana (2015, 60′) - It all started in 2013 with a very simple question: What are scientists in Ghana up to? This highly atmospheric documentary film travels across country to discover the merits of and challenges for science in this part of West-Africa. Meet, among others, the legendary (late) Prof. Allotey who has a theory in Physics named after him, a young master student Samuel who built a biolab with his supervisor, women from the Kalbeo community explaining the methods they developed to successfully preserve food, and many others. With a very special role for Ghanaian High Life legend Koo Nimo as storyteller, accompanied by his quartet. The film presents science from a new, decentralised perspective.
Wave Motion (2012, 15′) - The Earth has tides. Waves are everywhere. A sailor talks about his experience between the waves. A scientist talks about the waves all around us. This is my graduation film.