Aspiring actor Arnold Pollock was one of the participants to collaborate with artist Hafsah Naib on her up and coming Edition #3 exhibition. Here Arnold gives us an insight into working on the project…
After responding to Hafsah’s open call I went for a screen test. I gathered that we both thrive when throwing ourselves towards the unknown, which made me fit to collaborate with.
In our studio meetings, we came up with shooting a reality programme on a bus involving a producer and a Mancunian called Craig. This was great for me as an actor, as I could sink my teeth into a character. Shooting on a bus kept the production unforeseeable, it was a case of; we get out there, work with a loose script, and see what happens. Taking a scene and characters into public, where anyone can interact, will always be an apprehensive event. The challenge was investing fully into the character and committing to him in public so the whole setup was believable. Then all the magic occurs in the moment, with plenty of sporadic improv, public engagement and reacting to the passing environment.
Editing together was a rewarding experience and a good laugh, seeing these characters emerge that we’ve both worked on. I’ve enjoyed abandoning control, reworking ideas, taking a risk and going with whatever happens.
Edition #3 : The Hafsah Naib Video Systems previews this Friday 19 Aug and is on in Gallery 1 until Sunday 18 September.