Discussion with Michelle & Noel Keserwany
Noel and Michelle Keserwany explore the potential of audiovisual content, particularly video clips, as a medium for their social and activist commitment in Lebanon. These videos, which punctuate the country’s various fractures over the last ten years, from the economic crisis to the recent explosion in Beirut, function as a satirical chronicle and rallying space for politicized but neglected youth. These productions give rise to interventions in the public space, conceived as filmed performances, using the means of popular culture such as song or animation, to avoid censorship. This narrative work led them to Les Chenilles, their first medium-length film, and has also transformed their video practice and sculpted their artistic approach. On this evening Noel and Michelle Keserwany described their artistic and collaborative trajectory: from their first video clip, made in 2012 and going viral when they were 21 and 23, to their film Les Chenilles, presented at the Lyon Biennale in 2022 and named best short film at the Berlinale 2023. Their presentation, interspersed with excerpts, was followed by a conversation with Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, Head of Artistic and Cultural Programming at Cité internationale des Arts, and a Q&A with the audience. Image and editing: Louis-Pierre Lacouture Filming: Pablo Ontoria Ortiz