Sol in the Dark

SOL IN THE DARK is a cinematographic and multimedia collage project by Mawena Yehouessi, whose ambition is to generate new contexts of co-creation as synonyms of alternative modes of coexistence. From script writing to filming, post-production and distribution, the film is an invitation to over fifty artists, researchers, students, and amateurs to retrace altogether—in a poetic and speculative way—the Myth of “Lascar.”  
The term Lascar is said to come from Persian, meaning “army.” It was notably used during the 19th century to designate South East Asian native soldiers enrolled by the European colonial forces at sea. In the 1990s in France, Lascar has become a contemptuous qualifier, referring to 2nd and 3rd generation French BIPOC kids from the suburbs—from their daily struggles to their knowledge-making. As such, Lascar appears as both the epicene symbol and symptom of ghosted heredities as much as a fictitious role-model to youth standing on the edges of artistic, academic, media-related, and state-related institutional spaces. The film triggers fugitive modes of narration, representation, and co(n)generation in a post-internet world, and incites some of the viewers to reclaim its collage methodology and tell their own (Afrofuturist) stories—both in content and in form.

Mawena Yehouessi (aka M.Y) is an art curator, a (re)searcher, and an artist. She founded the Black(s) to the Future collective and is currently pursuing a PhD at Villa Arson + Université Côte d’Azur. She lives and works between Paris and Nice. Uncaught through alter-futurisms and poïethic realities, M.Y develops an imploratory (rather than exploratory) collaborative and prospective practice of collage. M.Y’s media thus oscillate from visual/digital syncretism and film-making to poetry writing, translation, pedagogy, concept-coining, collective gathering, study, improvised dancing, making-up parties and calling them exhibitions.

Production Olivier Marboeuf, Mawena Yehouessi. Production company Spectre Productions (Rennes, France). Written and directed by Mawena Yehouessi. Cinematography Kyo Kim. Editing Nicolas Pirus, Mawena Yehouessi. Sound design Elie Riviere. Sound Harilay Rabenjamina, Ibaaku, Crystallmess, Eden Tinto-Collins. With the voice of SALMAN, Soraya Abdellaoui, Mawena Yehouessi, Aminata Labor. Assistant director Noémie Pirus-Hassid. Executive producer Olivier Marboeuf. With Jessika Avomo Nnomo, Moaamed Bamba, Trinidad Enzema Momdjoa, Kourouma Famansa, Marie-Alysse Giraud, Mamady Keita, Bah Mamadou Djan, Laëtitia Marie, $@V, Carlota Sandoval Lizarralde, Yanis Sibart, Attandi Trawalley, Tinhinane, Paola Delfino, Julie Scemama, Kengné Teguia, Nicole de Souza Yehouessi, M. Y. 

Films

2019: Sol in the Dark.