{"id":735,"date":"2019-09-25T17:35:50","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T17:35:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agardencollective.org\/?p=735"},"modified":"2021-02-17T14:23:20","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T14:23:20","slug":"behind-the-scenes-with-abia-karim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agardencollective.org\/pt\/behind-the-scenes-with-abia-karim\/","title":{"rendered":"Abia Karim"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Name<\/em><\/strong>: Abia Karim<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where are you from and where are you based?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I grew up in Deerfield Beach, South Florida, a little beach town a bit north of Miami. There wasn\u2019t much of an art scene within the little community, just a bunch of beach rats (myself included). A lot has changed in the city since then, the culture has really shifted. A friend of mine, Melissa Hale, opened a film lab with her partner in Deerfield. It became a beacon of light for art in the city and has become a safe haven for me when I’m down there. They throw events and shows almost every week. I was able to be in a couple of shows before I came here to Lisboa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I lost a lot<\/em> of my work. Everything I had ever shot up until that point, gone.”<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After Florida, I moved to Santa Barbara, CA, where I bought my very first film camera, a Nikon FM10. I learned so so<\/em> much, met incredible people, and really grew into myself and my appreciation for photography. After a few years, I packed all my worldly possessions into my car to drive up the coast to Portland, OR. My first stop along the trip was San Francisco. I woke up in the morning to my car window busted in and most of my photography equipment stolen (including my shiny new Pentax K-1000). The worst thing being my hard drive, it had something like 20,000 photos on it. I lost a lot<\/em> of my work. Everything I had ever shot up until that point, gone. Since then, I have only shot on film and I never replaced my digital camera that got stolen. Despite the loss, it has been really great to see the progression of my work on a relatively short timeline. If it\u2019s not lost, forgotten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you do and what are your influences?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a multimedia artist. Mostly film photography. I dabble with sculptures, video\/material\/digital collages, and have recently been doing some work with new media and digital design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for my influences\/inspirations, a lot of filmmakers have actually inspired me. First and foremost, Maya Deren<\/a>, an avant-garde experimental filmmaker in the \u201940s and \u201950s. She would create an experience with her work, using subjective psychology and camera techniques in ways that makes it feel like a stream of consciousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, my friends are my biggest inspiration. My friends + adventure + a camera = my sanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you tell us a little more about why you shoot with film?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mainly shoot 35mm film, it\u2019s the most affordable and convenient for me at this moment. Being [outside of the USA] there isn\u2019t a lot I can bring with me or access. However, given the choice, I would be shooting Large Format 4×5. I skipped over medium format which is a camera that I have been looking for. I’m just waiting for the camera to find me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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