An Interview With: Aiwan Obinyan
Aiwan's a film maker, musician and fashion designer.
Her latest production is the fabulous new documentary film Wax Print: 1 Fabric 4 Continents 200 years of History.
The film describes the origins of wax cloth - the distinctive, often colourful, cotton material used to make clothing and accessories worn worldwide by people of African descent.
Aiwan kindly agreed to an interview.
Did you attend primary and secondary schools in the UK?
Yes I was born in Colchester and I went to primary, secondary schools and university in the UK.
Which subjects did you choose to study at school?
When it came to my choices in High School I picked geography, music – where I was told by my teacher that I wasn't very good (at music) and wouldn't do very well – as they do.
Why do some teachers do that? Why do they make such projections and when a child's so young?
The music (teaching) system in the UK is very biased, the emphasis is on the western classical tradition and lots of facts and figures. You know 'Mozart was born in.... and he did this and that'. There's lots of note reading and my mum didn't have the money to afford those kinds of lessons, so I didn't do well at that, but I was still very musical.
So self expression doesn't factor into the analysis?
Exactly
Did you go on to study creative subjects at university?
Yes, I went to music college and completed a BSc Honours in Music Technology and Production at Leeds College of Music.
Knowing what you know now – about your education – what advice would you give your younger self?
Don't get too hung up on set paths, it's good to have a general idea but just explore and be open to as much as possible. Don't be fixated on one way of doing things.
So knowing that the subjects you choose are not the 'be all and end all'. It can feel like that at the time.
Exactly. I don't think that at the age of 16, 17 or 18 you can really say what your life will be. There's going to be many twists and turns and it's a massive responsibility to give someone in their teens.
You're an all round creative – musician, fashion designer, film maker. How did your creative path evolve (develop)?
I've always done music, that's always been a constant thread in my life. In 2010, I got into film from a sound and music perspective. Then I got into the writing side of things, then the producing side of things then the filming side of things. Fashion came later, my mum made clothes, my grandma made clothes, also my aunties - so that was always there. So when it came time to work with wax print it was like 'how do I make something that I'll wear'? Because the way my mum and my grandma wear wax print doesn't really fit with my aesthetics, so the inspiration behind that was functional.
Your latest production is the fantastic documentary film 'Wax Print: 1 Fabric 4 Continents 200 years of History' which I found really informative and challenging. Why did you want to make this documentary?
Well initially it was supposed to be a short film that spoke about the fabric I was making clothes from for my customers. As I started shooting I realised the issue was bigger than I realised and more involved. The more research I did the more questions there were, and the more questions I answered the more questions were created by the answers so it ended up a big film and I decided to follow that.
You travelled to Ghana, Holland, Nigeria and the USA to gather research and footage, you also have your own history with wax prints. Was sticking to your core vision for the film a challenge?
With a documentary at the shooting stage you have to follow every angle, otherwise you end up with a documentary that can feel stilted so I think you have to follow it through. Then in the editing stage you craft your story – your narrative.
What do you think that you brought to this documentary that a European film maker wouldn't have brought? What is in the documentary that would have been missed?
Definitely the personal connection, definitely my grandma the fact that historically and personally I'm immersed in the culture that uses the prints. They've been many books written about wax prints by white anthropologists and cultural analysers from their academic ivory towers.
You collected a lot of information, do you plan to make a sequel documentary using unused footage?
I would love to but the film making process is very very expensive. I've got enough material there to do a series on wax prints and if there's funding for me to do that I'd most definitely do a sequel.
How about creating small snippets...
I have thought about that. I may do when I have time.
So what do you enjoy most about the creative process?
I like the feeling of creating something from nothing almost. I really like having an idea and setting in motion a series of actions that bring it to reality.
Which instruments do you play and do you read music?
I play electric and acoustic guitar, a bit of keyboard and do vocals. I play by ear and also use chord charts.
How do you go about creating a composition?
If it's a film the film will stimulate a mood which then tells me what instruments I might want to use. But in the absence of a film or some sort of external stimulus then I'd generally just start on the guitar, feeling out something. When it feels good record it and layer stuff, other instruments on top of it.
What does a Sound recordist do?
A sound recordist is the person on the film set responsible for recording all the sound related to the film. The actors talking, the sound of the 'space', (for example) we're in this 'space', there are cars going by and people walking by.
So if you were recording a scene you'd have to make sure that every single sound was picked up?
Yes – trying to capture as much of that as possible so at the editing stage you can piece all the sounds together and create a realistic film. For example – for us talking now they'd be a boom pole with a shotgun mic pointing at me and one pointing at you, I'd use my recorder to record at the right levels and then when the take is done I'd ask for silence on the set and then record the 'space.'
Do you record individual sounds like footsteps to keep as recordings?
Yes definitely – that's not always done on a film set. Most sound recordists have a bank of sound. (For example) footsteps on wood, on concrete, on snow, on wet mud, on dry mud, on leaves. Then of course there' trainers vs bare feet vs high heels vs smart shoes so you've got a whole bank of sounds.
How can somebody become a Sound recordist? Do you work for companies or for yourself?
I'm freelance but you can work for companies. I've worked for ITV recording sound as a freelancer. The best way is to study and read as much as possible - books on the topic and watch YouTube videos. Get some basic gear and get out there and record, the equipment's so cheap, you can even use a dictaphone. There are films online that have no sound, get a short film from archive.org put it into your computer software and see if you can recreate that world with the sound that you've recorded. Practise makes perfect.
That sound's interesting – could put a completely different sound to the imagery.
Precisely, and see what you come up with.
What are you most proud of?
I'm proud of the fact that I'm still making music despite the set backs and obstacles.
What's next for Aiwan?
I'm doing a world tour (with the film) and that's going to carry on to mid next year. Making more films releasing music, I've signed with an agent now so things are a bit more focused and structured.
Where are you going to go with the film tour?
(So far) New Zealand, Ghana, Kenya. San Francisco (Black film festival). A tour of East and west Coast of American universities. More in Europe – London, France etc.
Are you working on your own music or on other people's compositions?
Both. I'm working with an artist at the moment called Yomi Nii and another artist called Tobi Adebajo.
Whose your favourite music artist?
One of my all time favourite artists would have to be Lauryn Hill – her music did a lot for me during a certain period of my life.
A couple of random questions!
Sweet or savoury?
Sweet but recently more savoury, generally sweet. I like sweet things.
Pounded yam or eba?
Pounded yam - though I do like eba, I like eba with okra soup. My favourite soup is ogbono - I could eat it morning, afternoon and evening!
View the film’s trailer below: