Operissima. 2008

While holding the video projector on his side, Lithuanian visual artist Redas Dirzys presented a strange video recording of what he calls an ‘Operissima’. The movie features Greg Avau, Reiu Tuur, Nathalie Vasco, Redas Dirzys & Alain Mbaki Makeng. Enjoy!

Heading home

After five days of togetherness the moment had come to say goodbye.

The farewell reduced some youngsters to tears and made the moment a bit sad. After a sentimental goodbye everybody split up and went back to their country with nothing but good memories of the past week.

The final moment

The final moment for everybody to show a result had dawned after 4 days of intensive workshops. With the help of experienced artists the young students applied themselves to their artistic or musical creations.

Amidst loud applause the youngsters showed their works one by one. The artists smiled of proudness when they saw their satisfied students eagerly presenting their creations.

After a cheerful presentation the beats of modern music were set in for the farewell party.

Street art guy wants to quit

Daniel Scott is a Swedish artist involved in stencils and street art projects. He fears the competition of his students.

“Photography depends upon my moods”

The Estonian Tiia Päkk of the photography workshop talks about her moods when she pushes the button of her camera.

Art needs freedom

“Transfer of knowledge is mutual. Not only students can learn from artists, but teachers can also learn from apprentices”, explains visual artist Reiu Tuur. It is for that reason that Tuur decided to be a student for one day and follow the graphic design workshop by the Finnisch artist Hanna Siira.

Ribe, the oldest town of Denmark

Around 15:00 p.m. the youngsters and artists came together for a trip to Ribe, the oldest town in Denmark (early 8th century, the founding). After a 40 minute bus journey the group arrived in the old Viking town, where they could go for a stroll and buy some gifts for their friends and parents. Despite the freezing weather everybody stayed good-humoured and enjoyed the moment of freedom.

With countless shopping bags the group got back on the bus for a short journey to the concerthouse ‘Tobakken’ in Esbjerg. Drummer Casper Mikkelsen was having his diploma concert and the people of Alter Ego were kindly asked to attend it. While the jazzy tones resounded through the concert hall the youngsters started to slumber of boredom, although the band performed an exquisite set.

At 10:15 p.m. the group took the bus back to Løgumkloster for a good night sleep.

“Finding my own style”

The Italian artists Elena Crisanti and Nathalie Vasco combine music with art during the painting workshops. Lucrezia Calabrò (one of the participants) talks about her painting and the opportunity to discover her own style.

“I have the hunger of an elephant”

The famous actor Richard Sammel, now playing in the new movie Inglourious Bastards directed by Quentin Tarantino, is currently at the Alter Ego workshop week to give acting classes. Although his fully booked agenda he found time for the project in Denmark. StampMedia had an interview with him about his passion for acting and his other goals in life.

You are a fully booked actor, what made you join the Alter Ego project?

I’m an artist, not a moneymaker. It is for me of the utmost importance to be happy. Money and succes don’t make me happy. It is for that reason that I came to Denmark. The togetherness, the different languages that are involved in this project make me feel happy. I love the combination of disciplines, languages and countries. I couldn’t refuse this rich experience.

Artists have a mission in life to improve the world (not in a moral way). It is my duty to make people discover things. Everybody has wishes and dreams inside themselves. Dare to realize them. I want my students to learn the meaning of commitment, so they can achieve their goals in life.

What is your goal in life?

I’m a very hungry person. I have the needs of an elephant therefore I have to eat like an elephant to be happy. I always want to go higher and deeper. I want to surprise myself. But my hunger is more than my capacity. One of the goals I currently have in mind is to study in America so I can be qualified for Amercian movies. I mostly played in French movies, but I hope that my role in the new movie of Quentin Tarantino will give the opportunity to play in other American movies.

Tell us more about your role in the movie Inglourious Bastards?

It is based on an old Italian movie: American guys going to Europe to haunt nazis. I play sergeant Werner Rachtman, one of the bad nazis in the movie. The Germans are the bad guys while the Americans are the good guys. I’m very happy to be part of the adventure. I like the artistic value in the movie. I don’t care if I’m the good guy or the bad guy. You just can’t refuse to work with Tarantino. He created a feeling of togetherness a month before the shooting. We partied every week, the whole crew was welcome, even those who took care of coffee and thea during the breaks. We were one big family before the shooting started. That’s what I like about Tarantino.

Why did you become an actor?

I’m interested in the secret of human behaviour. I first wanted to study psychology, the medical, illness side of the human being. But I discovered that human behaviour is an endless proces. It is bigger than the secret of life. You won’t find it in a life time.

In what language do you prefer to play?

Every language opens a new universe. I can speak four different languages; French, German, Italian and Spanisch. When I speak in French, it’s like playing a certain musical instrument. German is another instrument. I don’t want to choose between a piano or a guitar.

The organist

The Belgian musician Greg Avau had the chance of his life to play the organ in the ancient church of Løgumkloster. He took this unique opportunity without any hesitation and made his dream come true. After playing Greg declares the organ his new best friend.