Faye Craig

My current research avenues stem from the exploration of afro-surrealism and the use of contemporary black filmmaking as a device of exposure. The pursuit of fabricated worlds being a cause for hyper-awareness was a major factor in the development of my recent projects. 

I expanded my investigation from a range of media, the most prominent being the FX TV show Atlanta (2016). Not only is Atlanta a TV show but a device, a commentary, the essence of Afro-Surreal Expressionism. Star and creator Donald Glover constructed a world with real life characters, real life problems, but an acute ever-present awareness of something that just felt off… I found that this is common device used in contemporary black filmmaking, from Get Out (2017) written and directed by Jordan Peele, to Sorry To Bother You (2018) directed by Boots Riley. A common thread being the use of fiction as a device of exposure. These fabricated worlds based on reality cause a sensation of hyper-awareness. Something feels familiar... Plausible, even though you're observing a completely fictional and unlikely world. These creators use the black experience, being an already, sometimes excruciatingly surreal reality, to point fingers at the problems of actuality. 

With this point of reference, I was able to discover my own approach to fiction and reality, drawing from small remains of myself and my own identity. I looked at the development of fiction in our own biased societies, made judgements on post-factual politics and used my findings to criticise socio-economic disparity and political pressure though a lens of my own. 

My research also led me to the likes of Toni Morrison and her exploration of 'The Other' - that being the minority and the configuration of blackness. Her writing defined great contextual beauty. Her scripture of self examination poised words of clarity. The quote ‘foreigners home' as an example, raises tones of conflict and instability. In current socio-political context, it addresses government conformity, and in relation to the past, it references force and dominance. My research into afro-surrealism is expanded to define the effects of experience. I want my practice to describe how surreal it is to be a marginalised person in a neglectful environment. The feeling "of not being at home in your homeland: of being exiled in the place where you belong".