In Motion: Art, Uncertainty, And The Beauty | Zoran Dragelj | TEDxCapilano U
Zoran asserts that the experience of the "unknown" is best framed not by what one seeks, but by what one carries—namely memory, imagination, and questioning—because these elements facilitate connection in various cultural crossroads. He provides examples ranging from his family's emigration to Canada to collaborations with artists like Betto in Costa Rica and documenting the Tuja people in China.
## Speakers & Context
- **Zoran** — filmmaker, cultural bridgebuilder.
- Narrates personal journey of leaving his homeland for Canada; subsequent career in visual and film arts.
- Discusses his work as being centered on "crossroads"—be they cultural, geographic, or collaborative.
- His work focuses on connectivity and sharing the experience of art.
## Theses & Positions
- *Stepping into unknown* is described as sometimes "lonely and quiet" but profoundly full of possibility, rather than merely dramatic.
- The essential question regarding the unknown should be reframed from "What is in the unknown?" to **"What are we carrying into the unknown?"**
- Visual arts grant the ability to carry memory, imagination, and questioning.
- The arts provide a communal language capable of speaking truth, tenderness, love, rage, or hope without needing translation.
- In the arts, the ultimate discovery is the community.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Stepping into unknown:** Described as a space that is "open," "lonely," and "quiet," yet full of possibility.
- **Cultural Crossroads:** A location or moment of convergence for art, culture, or people, exemplified by working with the Tot Train Collective.
- **Connectivity:** The central theme and purpose of the artist's work.
- **Communal language:** The nature of film and art, which Zoran believes "doesn't need translation to speak truth, tenderness, love, rage or hope."
- **Knowledge sharing:** Zoran believes in this model over formal teaching.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Artistic Pilgrimage:** Using visual art career and travel to connect with unique global cultures.
- **Dream/Creation Process (Betto):** Betto creates "world out of his dreams and recycled objects," using materials like rebar to create large sculptures, such as a 15m statue of the Virgin Mary.
- **Cross-Cultural Presentation:** Organizing live, simultaneous art/culture presentations using the internet to connect locations (e.g., Vancouver and Cambodia for the Tot Train Collective).
- **Knowledge Transfer:** Emphasizing *mentor* rather than *teach*, implying shared experience.
## Timeline & Sequence
- Early life: Family moved from homeland to Canada.
- Art Career development: Visual art career allowed him to travel the world.
- Costa Rica experience: Traveled specifically to learn from the artist Betto.
- Vancouver period: Developed a short film, which grew into the feature *Friends Like These*.
- Tot Train Collective work: Coordinated live presentations across time/space between Vancouver and Cambodia.
- China trip: Traveled to Wuling and Chongqing, documenting short stories with international filmmakers.
## Named Entities
- **Emily Carr:** Art school attended for visual arts career.
- **Costa Rica:** Location of meeting with Betto.
- **Betto:** Eccentric, self-taught artist from Costa Rica who builds homes and art from dreams and recycled objects.
- **Tot Train Collective:** Collective composed of Charlene Wickers, Chango Cummings, Connie Zabo, Mera, and Zoran.
- **Cambodia:** Location of cultural presentations with the Tot Train Collective.
- **Wuling:** Area visited in China known for the growth of trees.
- **Chongqing:** City in China where Zoran documented short stories with international filmmakers.
- **Tuja people:** Indigenous group in China who communicate by singing.
## Numbers & Data
- **15m:** Height of the statue of the Virgin Mary created by Betto.
- **Over 60,000 songs:** Number of songs the Tuja people once had.
- **About half:** The current number of songs retained by the Tuja people.
## Examples & Cases
- **The Family Move:** Family leaving homeland for Canada to create something for Zoran and his brother.
- **Betto's Art:** Building his own home, creating wonderful horses across Latin America, and making sculptures from found objects (e.g., the strawberry made from rebar).
- **Betto's Endurance:** Crucifying himself for six hours while working on religious monuments to understand the experience.
- **Friends Like These:** Bold independent feature film created with a small crew despite the independent scene in Vancouver.
- **Tot Train Collective:** Successfully hosting a live arts presentation simultaneously in Vancouver and Cambodia using internet connectivity.
- **The Tuja People Encounter:** Being greeted with open arms by the Tuja people in Sichuan, who communicate by singing and are preserving their songs due to Chinese government efforts.
- **Chinese Student Interaction:** Being asked to talk about cinematography and Canadian film in China, leading to discussion of collaboration.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Filmmaking Equipment:** Camera gear used for travel and documentation.
- **Internet:** Used to connect the Tot Train Collective presentation between Vancouver and Cambodia.
## References Cited
- None.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Traditional Teaching vs. Mentorship:** Preference for knowledge sharing (*mentor*) over formal instruction (*teach*).
- **Language Barrier:** Using film as a communal language that does not require translation to express core emotions (truth, love, rage, hope).
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The perceived drama of the "unknown" is contrasted with the reality that it can be "open," "lonely," and "quiet."
- The importance of *instinct* in connecting with people, contrasting with the inability to *control* relationships.
## Methodology
- **Observation/Learning:** Spending time with Betto to learn his artistic process (e.g., how he dredges silt).
- **Documentation:** Traveling to document cultural practices and film with international filmmakers (China).
- **Artistic Collaboration:** Organizing large-scale, technologically linked art events (Tot Train Collective).
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Find freedom and community through art.
- Advocate for redefining the unknown to focus on internal resources ("What are we carrying into the unknown?").
- Embrace instinct and the inherent connectivity of art.
## Implications & Consequences
- Visual arts provide a transferable means to carry internal resources (memory, imagination, questioning).
- The culture and art embodied by groups like the Tuja people face threats (e.g., dwindling songs).
## Verbatim Moments
- *"Stepping into unknown can be described as grand for me cinematic like an epic scene in a film. But for me, stepping into unknown is sometimes less dramatic. It is open at times lonely and quiet. A profoundly full of possibility."*
- *"you have to rely on your instincts because that makes the connectivity with a person. You can't and you can't control. It's uncontrollable."*
- *"My work is created in different places and those places whether that's in Vancouver or internationally is always about the crossroads a cultural crossroads."*
- *"In the unknown, I found freedom. And in arts, I found the community."*
- *"I don't teach because I believe in in in knowledge sharing and because film is a communal language that doesn't need translation to speak truth, tenderness, love, rage or hope."*