I am fortunate to come from a family of many talented individuals. So for my first interview, I chose to interview my cousin, Carl-Philippe Simonise, an artist with many talents and a brilliant viewpoint to share.
Carl-Philippe Simonise
Photograph by Dimitri Rousseau
*Unexpected Magick: Who are you, where are you from, and does that affect your point of view?
Carl-Philippe Simonise: A filmmaker who takes photos sometimes, and wishes he was a novelist.
I don’t live on Earth by choice. I never fully know who I am, because I’m not too sure where I am. The universe is travelling, so I’m not sure of how close we are of wherever it’s going…
Everyone says that, but music is everything to me. (Everyone says that too, fuck ‘em, lol). But seriously, I get depressed or antisocial if I don’t have new music to listen to. Every two weeks, I need to listen to at least three new albums, and that’s what keeps me sane. Barely.
I also manage a band, that creates and performs under two different names, so it’s like managing two bands.
I’ve lived as part of a privileged elite in one of the poorest thirty-thousand square miles in the world (growing up in Port-au-Prince, Haïti); and as a student (which is a fancy way of saying being broke in your twenties) in one of the best places in terms of quality of life (Montreal, Quebec).
I think my point of view is definitely affected by where I’m from. I won’t go as far as saying I’ve seen it all, but I’ve seen both extremes, and it kinda gives me a decently accurate idea of the world. A very important weapon in these days of media wars.
I live in a biligual city so I am also connected to two sets of cultures which is very cool.
*UM: What kind of work do you do? What’s your craft(s)?
Carl-Philippe Simonise: I’m an independent filmmaker, writer/director and producer of short films, and videos. I am currently producing various web based series/shows, and have been doing research for a full-length film I plan on writing this winter. Producing, gives a good sense of what’s needed for a film/story to work, so it’s a good way of mastering the craft. I sometimes work on music videos, but those can be tricky; it takes practice to know who you wanna work with…
*Unexpected magick: What’s your inspiration? Where do you draw from? What fuels you? Any guiding principles?
Carl-Philippe Simonise: Some artists will tell you that anything and everything can be inspiring, people, places, moments, stories. Others believe that inspiration is simply a voice in your head, dictating stuff. You basically connect to a global pool of ideas and your brain turns it into whatever your craft is. My belief is somewhere between the two, or rather a combination of both. I am fully aware of some of the ideas and questions that my subconscious is working on, and sometimes I’ll hear some words from a conversation in the streets, and later link it to a memory, and that becomes art. Or pre-art. I do hear a voice in my head, but that’s a different story…
I like to know what’s happening in the world, and like to talk about the stuff that’s considered crazy or unacceptable. The guiding principle, would be: whatever is associated with madness by the general population, has the potential to make a great story, and can start a conversation about that topic. That’s what art should be all the time. Starting conversations. Real art is probably the greatest conversation starter.
*UM: What’s your creative process?
CPS: I’ll decide on a topic to talk about, find out how many others have already talked about it, and how. Then I’ll be interested in something else, and go through the same process. Then I’ll go about my business for a few weeks, letting everything work out in my head. And at some point, I’ll come up with a story or two, or three, by putting together a number of anecdotes that can work around the topics (I never forget a story someone tells me. I could be completely high or drunk, or both, at any social gathering, if I think a story could end up in a movie, somehow my brain knows how to store it. Sometimes I don’t trust it, so I’ll use my iPhone notes).
The Process
*UM: Do you have a most prized Possession?
CPS: Um, now, I’d say my phone because it’s where I write ideas, or my camera, because I can test visual elements as I’m writing, which is cool. But if I lost both tomorrow, I wouldn’t cry and I’d still be who I am. Whoever that is.
*UM: Favorite color?
CPS: It used to be the absence of colour, as in black. Because I never really thought of it, but going over all of the visual content I’ve created in the past three years, I’d have to say red. Not sure why though’…
*UM: If you could pick up and go tomorrow, anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
CPS: I’d say Brasil, because they’re the empire of the future, the new new world. I like the direction they’ve decided to take on many polarizing so-called world issues. And I love that they’re very open about sexuality. Always trust a society that doesn’t hide or condemn sexuality. Or Northern Europe. Or another planet, where petty things like countries, currency, control, or religion, or beliefs have finally ceased to exist. Where the only goal would be to reach transcendental orgasms.
*UM: Any words to live by?
CPS: “There are no limits. There are only plateaus.” – Bruce Lee.
Check out the links below to see his work for yourself!
His short abstract film:
https://www.facebook.com/GaddafisDream
His album cover series:
https://www.facebook.com/albumsoftheyear
His photography page:
https://www.facebook.com/bipolarphotography
Please support my cousin, he rocks!!
Unexpected MagicK 