by Abhi Parasher
“When I read Walter’s poem, I sensed this very strong feeling of longing,” says Yeoseop Yoon, the director of Laments of Old Wal, a short film created for the State Library of Victoria’s Mirror Exhibition.
Speaking to the theme of mirrors, Yeoseop says “I was thinking about the idea of reflections a lot, and it really boiled down to this one line, ‘without reflection, can there be longing?’
“Can you long for something when there is nothing really to reflect on.”
Walter Kadiki is a poet who creates his art at the intersection of signed poetry and poetic performance. He has performed his signed poetry at the Melbourne Fringe Festival, Melbourne 2005 Deaflympics – Celebration of a Possibility projection, Canberra Parliament and various events across Australia.
Yoon, Kadiki, Dinusha Ratnaweera (producer) and Jani Hakli (cinematographer) embarked on a journey to create a visual representation of Walter’s poem, Laments of Old Wal. The film will play at the Mirror: New Views on Photography exhibition, which showcases over 140 photographs from the State Collection, alongside creative responses from emerging and established Victorian storytellers, who tell fascinating tales of Victoria through a contemporary lens.
Laments of Old Wal combines all elements of the film language to create a feeling of longing. The cinematography, helmed by Jani Hakli, utilises expired 35mm film stock to get a unique look that is both evocative and nostalgic.
“We don’t like talking over Zoom,” Hakli says about his partnership with Yoon. “We like to sit down and look at stills or anything else that reflects the piece. With this one, because we are shooting a single person, it became a lot about the framing.”
A key element that became a centrepiece of the visual aesthetic was the house that the team filmed in.
“I had seen this house before and seen photos from our location scouts. But it is always different when a location scout takes a photo compared to when a director or cinematographer takes a photo,” says Hakli. “He [Yeoseop] immediately saw things in a different way.”
“I was literally a kid in a candy store,” Yeoseop recalls. “I walked into the house and there is this paint peeling off and the light hitting it just right. There was this sense of nostalgia that was perfect when we were exploring reflections and longing.”
For Yoon, this is not the first time he has worked with Kadiki. Their first collaboration was on a film called Plod along is what I must.
“I wanted to do some video work that incorporates poetry for a long time,” shares Yoon. “I looked for poets online and I came across a video by Walter on Youtube. It wasn’t cinematic at all, just a recording of him performing, but I was inspired so I booked a ticket to Melbourne and filmed a little video.
“When we first met, he came with a legal contract because he didn’t know who I was,” Yoon laughs.
Mirror: New Views on Photography is on until the 28th of January 2024 at the State Library of Victoria
