Sammie Walkenbach

The idea is always central. It comes in pieces, often disconnected and without a clear theme or arc. It's an image I want to grab and turn into physical work. The form usually comes with the idea which means I don't limit myself to a single medium. The photographs, paintings and writings often lead me to film, which I would consider my main focus and medium. A film usually starts small, with just one image or a single scene. From there, more ideas emerge and the film starts to grow in unexpected directions, gradually gaining substance. An actual story begins to take shape.
Loneliness, silence and violence of dreams, religion, death and nature are all recurring themes in these films. I focus on creating a new world in which the story takes place, spending much time on atmosphere and feeling. A familiar world that shifts and distorts into something new, something alien.