Finn Harvor

I call my movies “authorial movies” because they are based on literary works (poems or prose) but also because they are made by one creator – one author.

'This video started with drawings that I was making for a novel, as well as photos I was shooting in the province of South Korea that my wife and I live in (Kyonggi-do – the province where Seoul is located). I was modifying these images with my smart phone at the time – a Galaxy Note. The poem is part of a much longer series entitled the Baram Series, and is thematically linked insofar as most of the videos are thematically concerned with the tension that exists between urban development and nature. The videos also have to do with history (quite blood-soaked in this region), and the economic and social stresses that individual people live under.'

'The main story of the movie--which are part of a much longer, book-length series of connected poetry movies, and also include songs, artwork, and audio projects - is that of the death of my brother. He was an alcoholic. He was also probably self-medicating underlying conditions--depression certainly one of them. But his decline and dysfunctional decision-making was also linked to dysfunction within the family. That's how it often is with addicts: the problems exist on individual levels; they also exist on group levels.'

'On a similar theme as Thievanomics, but this time from working people’s perspective (something I have a fair bit of personal experience of). It also includes some footage shot in the UK — specifically, Liverpool — which might be of interest. The feel of that city was interesting, and I did quite a few sketches there.

Process notes: The video footage was shot in Seoul on the Go-seok-ro – the huge expressway between Pangyo and Seoul. Every night, it is clogged with intercity traffic, as working people commute. It is the same route I take as I travel to my teaching job at a Korean university. The drawings were done during a trip to Liverpool. I was there for a few days, and spent a lot of time wandering around the city. I didn't have any particular aim as I wandered around; I was simply interested in getting a feel for the city. However, the more I walked (my legs and feet finally aching), the more I realized that the working class base of the city hadn't really changed, even though the economic structure of the city had. The old dockland had either fallen into partial use, or were gentrified. For those who could adapt to the new economy, life was fine. For those who couldn't, it was either low-paying jobs in the service sector, the street, or the pub.'