Andrew Kotting is known for his peculiar and wildly made short films. Over the years he has created experimental films such as Hoi Polloi (1990) and Smart Alek (1993) for which he has best received the audience's praise for. Kotting has even created a feature-length movie travelling the British coast with his mother and daughter, meeting new people and exploring new places. Though it has been said that he aims to explore more of the darker sides of his childhood memories. Elements of sentimentality and thought-provoking moments can also be said to be involved in his pieces. Revealing an underlining emotional intention.
A consistent theme has seen him collaborating with his daughter Eden, who suffers from an uncurable speech disorder. It is interesting to see that Kotting uses the imagery by his daughter to accommodate his pieces accordingly to the sounds being produced even saying in an interview a lot of what he does aims to facilitate the sounds going on in the background. Now, this is only an observation of his work and perhaps an interpretation of the two but I can see a correlation between his sounds and his daughter. Knowing Eden is unable to convey her meaning or intentions across orally. Is Kotting's work with sound a medium in which gives his daughter a platform to speak through? Using ambient sounds, natural or synthetic and recordings of speeches. Is this the vocabulary he has taught his daughter, shown in his pieces? after all in my opinion its a wonderful touch. I favour this notion because sounds can say a lot much like the saying 'One image can speak a thousand words.' It has a powerful definition of the world around us. As someone who has a family member who suffers from autism. I know the wonders sound could do and say on behalf of an individual.
What I like about his work most of all is his use of sound that in a sense brightens up the background with a translucent form of audio colour. It reminds me of my first soundscape pieces I originally did for my first year in uni, whereupon I based my piece on the painting 'Dulle Griet.' A rendition of hell being plundered by the mightily powerful hordes of women. In the piece itself, I had to consider carefully the interpretation of this image. Right down to the sounds of the elements and the noises echoing in the distance. It really did bring the image to life and can be a powerful addition to a screen project. This is a feature I share in common with Kotting as he himself once said;
"I like to sculpt with the sound in the same way I like to sculpt with the picture and the ideas, The story may change just to accommodate a sound."
When I really think about how the theme Maps & Networks can relate. I tend to think about two ends as it was, separated. By the distance between them. Trying to join, to create a fluent current running to its destination and back again. So when I bring Kotting's work into this I really interpret this as being a bridge between his daughter's impaired speech and the sounds he brings together to form a vocabulary. For her to connect with the world in a way that our networks have, that she's been denied. It shows that even sounds can have a story to tell just as much as a visual one could.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Andrew Kotting - Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/user7237586
Andrew Kotting website:
http://www.andrewkotting.com
Andrew Kotting image:
Andrew Kotting website:
http://www.andrewkotting.com
Andrew Kotting image:
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