This Video Summary Of A Three Year Daily Photography Project Is Poignant And Inspiring Graphic design graduate, David De Sousa or SOUMATO as he likes to be called, took a photo everyday for three years and has combined some of his favourites into a new video. As abstract shots of urban detail and natural equilibrium combine into a entrancing journey through life’s details, David’s fascination with symmetry is clear. “Symmetry has always been very important in my art”, he explained to us, “It is a very simple process that makes the world look different”. Aside form this though, his work is influenced by science fiction and the music he is listening to. Sound changes our perceptions of things – a low mood can be brightened by an upbeat song and the same is true of the reverse. An ex storyboarder for music videos, sound has always played an important role in David’s life, “my connection with music is really strong. I love editing my videos. Doing it I almost feel like I’m a musician”. Paying attention to his senses while shooting helps draw his attention toward a certain texture, atmosphere or details on a piece of architecture. We spoke to the visual artist and man of many trades about his eye for detail and love of daily photography. The Plus: Could you explain what your RORSCHACH project is? David De Sousa: Rorschach is both a video and photo project, with a strong aesthetic dimension and the particularity of being based on symmetry. I intend to cover the tracks so that you don’t recognize simple things of everyday life. When I first started this project, I wanted to create my own image bank, that I could use in different works. TP: How did you chose which photos to use in the video? DSD: I have selected about 1300 photos among the 14000 I took for 3 years. Their common characteristic? Almost all of them are abstract and very graphic. For instance, a tree bark can make me think of a canyon, seen from above. I specially like to use symmetry on a photo whose subject is far from it, vegetal world, for example. TP: how did you decide on the order of photos for the video? DSD: In this video, the order is only chronological. It is the base of the music video (« Flux Pavilion – Never See The Light ») I just finished. Most of the time my edits are very epileptic. This time I decided it was important to slow down and make sure people can see every frame. TP: what is your favourite photo included in the video? DSD: None. Each of them is important to me. I can’t always explain why I shoot a thing or another. I simply do. TP: Which city provided you with the best photographs? DSD: For 6 years I’ve lived in Saint Denis, north of Paris. In France, Saint Denis has a bad reputation, for they say « it’s a poor dirty and violent city ». In fact I really loved living there, it’s a very multi-cultural city, and I specially like it for its bad reputation. When i see something people consider dirty or ugly, I always feel like changing it into something beautiful. That’s why the picture I took in saint Denis are the most meaningful and important to me. TP: Do you look at the world through a lens – constantly sizing things up as photographs? Or, are you just struck by something at random? DSD: I wander, explore and suddenly find something or somewhere interesting. I took pictures using my Iphone, because it’s always with me, I can take it out quickly. It is not the same that using a camera. You don’t need to decide you will need it, you just have it in your pocket. TP: What’s next for you? DSD: I currently work as a Freelance Motion Designer for Concerts and Events. I’m always open to new challenges and collaborations. It prevents me from being stucked in my comfort zone.
