Moving experiences: video observations of Ho Chi Minh City

My creative practice examines processes of observation, filming and the re-presentation of a unique urban condition known as the héms, an area of compact mixed-use buildings, in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Using moving images of my observations, my practice employs a series of processes that illuminate the details of this part of HCMC. My practice has developed a set of methods that build a relationship between the in-situ experience of the héms, a post production treatment with a series of customised lenses and filters, and edited sequences used for festivals and galleries. These are interspersed with two distinct periods of reflection that inform the subsequent treatments. With a focus on detailed documentation of event, movement and space the héms are recorded using extended sequences of footage that are illuminated through the lenses and filters. This allows the héms to be re-presented with different visual properties: zoom, blur, layering and extrusions to capture a rich collection of sequences that are contextually significant to HCMC. The data gathered and manipulated through the documentation process speaks to the relationship between occupation and its fluidity highlighting a 'tightness' in the operation of the spaces. The documentation is a record of an urban condition that is increasingly under threat from demolition and redevelopment. This work offers a way of looking at these tight urban environments as rich spaces of community, culture and material vibrancy that can ultimately inform future urban planning and design thinking, presents examples of dense urban spatial capacity. The documentation is also a record of a unique urban condition, that is under threat from demolition and redevelopment. HCMC is rapidly expanding, and this research can inform future urban planning and design through the re-presentation of the héms, as a space capable tackling the associated issues.