Touchscape

Niloufar Samadi's MFA Defence
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 | 3:00 PM
Room 4365 (Sound Stage)
149 W. Hastings St., Vancouver

Touchscape is a mixed media installation that invites viewers to engage with the fluidity of identity through the materiality of Super 8 film. Growing up in a constrained society where censorship and self-censorship were the status quo, and later immigrating to Canada, I realized that identity is not just another word—it had transformed into a visceral and vital concept. During this process, I found myself unable to see my reflection in the representations of women in either Western media or Iranian society. 

This project emerged through collaborating and filming with local queer Iranian performers, where I sought to explore different possibilities of representing our images, memories and experiences. By layering film with painting, sewing, and scratching, I explore the complexity of our identities, illustrating how these layers can create new, multidimensional images that reveal hidden aspects of self. Inspired by Laura U. Marks' concept of haptic visuality, the installation encourages a dimensional and intimate relationship with the film projected through the film curtain. Accompanied by six altered film strip frames, the work fosters a deeper engagement with the materiality of film, self-expression and memories. 

Keywords:  Super 8; Haptic Visuality; Intimate media; Tactile; Identity, Feminist Filmmaking