dichtung-digital: Paris Connection

Jim Andrews: What is your relation with Durieu, Schmitt, Jean-Luc Lamarque, servolvalve, and Jean-Jacques Birgé, Nicolas? How long have you known them?

Nicolas Clauss: We all know each others except for servovalve whom I haven't met, I only know his work which is quite interesting. Frederic is a friend, we met a few months after I saw a CDROM called "Alphabet" that he co-authored with Jean-Jacques Birgé, then nearly nearly 3 years ago he taught me a few basics for Director and finally we co-founded what became his own site now: LeCielEstBleu, a few months before I got my own space, flyingpuppet.com. I met Antoine last year at a party at Birgé's and Jean-Luc Lamarque about the same time.

In 1999 I came back from oversea after a trip of 6 years (from India to Korea and Australia), I had a few show in France then and decided to see what was possible with computers. Then I saw in an exhibition the cdrom Alphabet, I was amazed, I asked around me and someone told me it was done with a software call Director. I got the software and started working on it like crazy for 3 months (beginning of 2000). A cdrom of mine came out of these 3 months (called "voyages") and then I contacted one of the author of "Alphabet", Murielle Lefêvre (Dadamedia) who really liked what I'd done, and we started working together on a project I did about dance (with drawn dancers in Flash under Director). Murielle introduced me to the programmer and co-author of "Alphabet", Fred. We became very close with Fred and in 2001 we started LeCielEstBleu.

During that time Fred introduced me to Jean-Jacques and we became friends. I knew him by name since I had some CDs he made with his band "Un Drame Musical Instantané", a band playing creative music that had made over 25 records. It was very exciting for me to work with a musician whose music I had known for over ten years. Jean-Jacques is probably in France The multimedia musician. He made some multimedia works as well under his name with Antoine ("Machiavel" which is excellent and based on 111 video loops and "Carton"). JJB comes from Cinema, he made a few movies.

When we work together I bring the pictures and first idea and then we go back and forth between my pictures and his sounds. We've been working together for a year and half now.

What are your own concerns that are distinct from what you see them being interested in?

I believe my approach is more of a painter's approach. I'm not interested by code. Let's say I see myself as a painter using Director like a writer would do with the use of word processing software. I feel I could use another medium tomorrow if I wanted (which would be different of course).

Some of your recent work such as "Before the Night" and "The Sleepers" involves an interesting notion of interactive cinema, to me. Do you think that's an accurate characterization? What are your aspirations with that type of work?