Further than Hip Hop (Prequel) (2020)
In her film, Lavinia Xausa uses rap texts to investigate and describe the multicultural landscape of the Netherlands. Rap is the most important pillar of hip-hop culture. If you look beyond its mainstream image, you see a hugely powerful medium of communication. Xausa juxtaposes two emblematic figures: Missionaries and Rappers, all carriers of a message. The missionaries brought the Word to the colonies, the rappers brought it back to the city. This structure creates a true video opera, in which spoken word-artists express their vision and experience, thus building a bridge between different continents and cultures.
Lavinia Xausa is fascinated by the idea that history continually repeats itself. She researches sacred art and semiotics (study of the workings of signs) and examines symbols and icons of current phenomena such as migration, social integration, and religious and cultural identity, which have also manifested themselves earlier in world history. In doing so, she offers a new perspective on the present, new meanings that help us to better understand our behaviour.
‘Further than Hip Hop’ is a work-in-progress. The completed film will be shown in TENT Rotterdam at the end of 2020.
single-channel video, 12:30 min.
concept, editing and montage: Lavinia Xausa | participants: Neusa Gomes, Mc Complex (Adeiye Tjon),Kevtendencies (Kevin Josias) and Rik Zutphen | gospel singer: Kiki Luitwieler | cinematography: Matija Pekic : production assistant: Giulia di Pietro | camera assistant: Giulia Fuel | sound design: Ismael Lo | sound: Mihai Gui & Gherardo Santi | photography: Mihai Gui | with thanks to: Kenny Gomes, Shiva Willem, Jephan Esseboom and Amely Van Putten | made possible by CBK Rotterdam, the Mondriaan Fund, Eye Film Museum and the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision
