Spaghettidog

Elham Rokni - 2006, 5:32, miniDV, Israel

This work attempt to capture the thin line that separates (so called) normal and abnormal relationships and presents a mental-sexual situation which at the same time shocks and evokes empathy. Elham Rokni is an Active Video Artist. She was born in Iran in 1980 and immigrated to Israel at the age of 9. She currently lives and works in Tel Aviv.

In 2007 Elham graduated with honors from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, at the Fine Arts Department, and in 2008 has started her Master in Fine Arts at the Bezalel M.F.A program

Questions with Elham Rokni by Liz Wing

Liz Wing: There's a great mix of hilarity and perversion in the video. Were there any points that, as a filmmaker, made you laugh or cringe?

Elham Rokni: This work started as a parody on amateur porno movies, and only after the shooting, while editing, the primal intention changed into a more existential state of mind. so during the work itself, everything was very humoristic and fun.

LW: How well did you know the dogs, and what was it like to be so "intimate" with them?

ER: One of the dogs is mine and the others are my Friends dogs, so i knew them well. the only one that i felt more intimate with was the black dog, and i just thought of it as people who kiss their dogs...

LW: The video also seemed to touch on themes of sex and power, albeit in a lighthearted way. Is that a theme you've explored in other films and videos?

ER: Yes. I do explore also in other works (video & photography) the topic of sexual relationships, and try to find places where those are violated in some way.