Producer and Audience the film festival

From my exhibition at Gallery 46, I noticed that the audience was quite specific. Most of them were students or people already interested in art. They came, experienced the work, and had their own interpretations. I think this is interesting, but at the same time, it feels a bit limited.

When I look at something like the BFI London Film Festival, the audience is much wider. It’s not only artists, but also general public, industry people, and media. The work shown there still has artistic value, but it also needs to connect with more people.

For example, directors like Christopher Nolan, his films are conceptual, but still reach a large audience. His works aren’t simple, but they still communicate clearly enough for people to engage with them. I think this is quite interesting, it shows that work can be both creative and accessible at the same time.

This also makes me think about my own work. If I want my practice to move beyond the BA Sound Arts context, I need to think more about where and how it can be experienced by a wider audience. One possible way is through film or film festival contexts, where sound design becomes part of a complete work that people come to watch and experience.

For instance, if I work as a sound designer on a film and it is shown in festivals like the BFI London Film Festival, the audience is getting wider automatically. It will become a mix of public viewers.

For me, this is something I want to explore more. I feel more interested in creating work that can exist in these kinds of contexts, where it reaches a wider public and becomes part of a shared experience.

I’m still figuring this out, but I think thinking about audience and context is becoming more important for how I approach my work.