Meshkat Talebi and Olivier Terpstra, Borders are an Imaginary Line, 2022 -
audio visual installation

Borders Are an Imaginary Line is part of an ongoing collaboration between Meshkat
Talebi and Olivier Terpstra that combines prose, moving image, soundscapes and
music to create an immersive audio-visual installation. Their process is gradual, it grows
like a conversation and starts with a recording of Talebi reading a piece of her writing,
perhaps accompanied by some moving image suggesting a time or a place. Terpstra
responds with a soundscape, a gesture or an effect. The conversation grows, call and
response, refine and revise. They create a space to share their dialogue and offer the
personal as political in a bid to explore a complex and often divisive issue.

This is an impression of the project Borders are an Imaginary Line. The installation consists of 4 screens and surround sound.

extra photo

Artist statement

Olivier Terpstra (b.1993, The Netherlands) is a producer, film composer and sound artist combining the warm and rich sounds of analogue synthesizers with field recordings and other collected sound snippets from his archive. His work seeks to create sensorial spaces where stories can be told and shared with the others.
Working as both an applied composer and autonomous artist his projects can vary from filmscores to installation work and also life performances. Under the alias Oliv Oliv he is sharing his autonomous work that is a blend of electronic techno music and a more classical film scoring approach. Giving it a unique mixture of the two genres.

Ambitions

I’ve used the two years of my masters program to expand my knowledge and also focus on my artistic development. All these experiences and conversations I’ll take in account the coming years. I hope to work towards the opening of my own studio space where I can invite other artists, especially from other art disciplines to work together on new projects.

Learned during the studies

Besides the improvement in both the technical and conceptual craft of creating music I think that working together is a valuable skill I developed during my masters program. The project Borders are an Imaginary line is a clear example of such a collaboration. Working together with people form another medium makes you look at your work in a new and refreshing way. Something I can advise everyone to do once in a while!

List of publications / exhibitions / prices / concerts / shows etc.

2023 - Nominated for HKU Awards with the collaborative project Borders Are an Imaginary Line
2022 - award for best original score 48Hour film project Amsterdam

Fluid Frequencies Collective

Fluid Frequencies is an audio/visual collective in the performing arts. The collective intends to curate interesting and unique upcoming artists within the field of visuals and electronic music. Creating a thematic storyline throughout the event with strong visual elements in combination with music are the core of the collective’s activities. These projects may vary from club nights to expositions, but also are presented online through the collective’s platform. This platform is meant to meet, inspire and connect for both audio and visual artists.

In the collective the artist plays a central role. We see social interactions and a collective approach as key elements in the whole artistic process. We strive for a healthy and safe environment with plenty of room for experiment, in which the artists can work towards long term sustainable work relations. As a collective we do this by creating an environment in which artists can share knowledge, encourage, grow and support each other's artistic vision. Working as a collective we can provide each individual artist with a broad network, facilitate guidance and provide feedback on all collaborations. Since we believe presenting works collectively is easier than for individuals we strive for a fluid line-up where creative minds present in various theme’s.