„I am interested in technology, its ambivalence, global phenomena and the relationship between the human and the (non)human within these contexts”
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“I am like a chameleon: today ethical questions may preoccupy me, tomorrow anthropological issues and the day after perhaps an entirely different ‘opera’”
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“Intuition and drive in creativity emerge from genuine curiosity and working on what truly interests you“

Bon Alog, 1990 in Šiauliai, Litauen geboren, studierte Kreativwirtschaft sowie Fotografie & Medienkunst in Vilnius, Zeitbasierte Medien an der Kunstuniversität Linz und Medienkunst an der Akademie der bildenden Künste München. Ihre Kunst zeichnet sich durch einen interdisziplinären Ansatz aus, der sich zwischen Experimentalfilm, Video- und Installationskunst bewegt. Für das Startstipendium 2025 hat sich Bon Alog mit der Kurzfilm-Trilogie MADology beworben, die die Angst vor Katastrophen untersucht, die sowohl die persönliche Identität als auch das kollektive Bewusstsein prägt.

Your CV reflects the diversity of an artist with a strong experimental drive: different fields of study, several places of residence, scholarships and residencies, numerous exhibition participations, and a wide range of professional experience – from production assistant and educator to DOP and curator. What interests and inspires you?

Bon Alog: I would like to be somewhat modest in this regard. Many things in my life are driven by a natural curiosity that feels almost insatiable. This may sound a bit banal, but I do not strongly believe in inspiration as a phenomenon in art it feels like a remnant of Romanticism, something inherited from a previous century, and it is difficult for me to fully identify with that notion. If I were to consider what actually activates my creative productivity, it would likely be whatever disrupts certainty and forces a change of perspective, something that compels me to reconsider, expand or even step outside my comfort zone and pause for reflection. I am interested in technology, its ambivalence, global phenomena and the relationship between the human and the (non)human within these contexts.

This may sound somewhat abstract, but I am like a chameleon: today ethical questions may preoccupy me, tomorrow anthropological issues and the day after perhaps an entirely different “opera.” Yet if I had to aim directly at a core interest, it would undoubtedly be cinema, maybe not only cinema confined to the screening room, but one that extends beyond it and thrives in hybrid practices. In that sense, I remain deeply committed.

Archival / found footage material is often a central aspect of your artistic work and research. What does ephemeral film material mean to you? What are you looking for?

Bon Alog: Not always, but artistic research is an unavoidable part of my creative process. Found footage and archival materials entered my practice through my engagement with experimental cinema over the past three years, often emerging spontaneously and in analogue form.

For me, found material is a medium through, which information, historical layers and value can be revealed, while also enabling reinterpretation and recontextualization. At the same time, it feels like the beginning of a detective story, an inherently risky, all-or-nothing situation. You acquire an object without annotations, expecting either everything or nothing. It resembles a lottery or a process of forming assumptions and connecting fragments to perceive a larger picture, often involving consultation with specialists and data collection.

Although I am not particularly patient, this process inevitably demands patience. I place myself in these situations, because I believe in the reward of discovery. This field allows for exploration and open-ended inquiry, followed later by reconstruction or other forms of artistic intervention.

The approach depends on the project: it may focus on a specific historical period or rely on keyword-driven database searches, shaped by the source of the material – institutions, flea markets, online platforms or elsewhere.

How do you find the form of your projects?

Bon Alog: When I complete the “homework” of artistic research: clarifying the theme and concept, as well as the aspects that interest me – it provides a logical perspective for the next step: choosing the medium and form. At the beginning of a project, I can not categorically say that it will be a film, as the process may reveal that the project’s artistic expression requires more or fewer, or entirely different elements. Although I tend to be a control freak and prefer to plan everything from A to Z, I still always understand that I need to remain open-minded, as reality sometimes hands you lemons, requiring a process of reconfiguration and rethinking, while still aiming for lemonade in the end.

What is the planned film project about with which you applied for the start-up grant?

Bon Alog: This is project explores condition through landscape in relation to ongoing geopolitical tensions and events that are currently unfolding or may occur in the future.

Why is “MADology” planned as a trilogy?

Bon Alog: I see the trilogy as a structural framework for bringing the theme together and shaping it through parts of varied content and form. Also, just because there is a risk and challenge – I have never done trilogy before.

! ANM.: Beide Fragen oben zu einer Vereinen?

At what stage is the project currently, and what are the major challenges at the moment?

Bon Alog: The project has core narrative focal points, despite being an experimental film that aims to combine visual material of different content and origins. A substantial amount of selected archival and found footage has been collected and is awaiting digitization. Experimental film tests, aesthetics have been clarified and defined to be used in relation to found footage. An initial edit of the first part has already been in rough cut mode as a work-in-progress, as a visual sketch incorporating text and voice-over. At this stage, the text is being revised and work is underway with voice actors for the narration. Documentary audio recordings are being collected and connections between these recordings and the musical/sound track are being explored. Additional material for the remaining parts of the film is also being sourced and assembled.

Which films come closest to how you would like to make films?

I do not aim to create in the style of someone else. I am in ongoing search of my own particles. However, there are many directors whose work resonates with me through specific nuances and certain creative decisions. For example, Apichatpong’s films are particularly interesting to me because of their multilayered nature, which incorporates local context and reflects it in a subtle, indirect way, as well as his work with non-professional actors. Matthew Barney’s earlier works were relevant to me because of their surrealistic elements. Yorgos Lanthimos stands out for his exploration of behavioral norms and the portrayal of relationships. Béla Tarr’s films resonate through their humanity and their treatment of the passage of time. That said, my own work is far removed from theirs, perhaps because I have no intention of copying any specific style. Rather, I see myself as being in constant search of something new with each project.

Returning once more to your CV: What would you like to pass on to young people who want to make and study art? Are there moments in your life as an artist so far that were particularly formative or direction-setting?

Intuition and drive in creativity emerge from genuine curiosity and working on what truly interests you. It is important to remain honest with yourself during your studies and to recognize whether you are in the right place or not, especially since today we can easily shift between many different directions and roles. Every decision comes with side effects, and those, too, become part of experience over time. I would encourage anticipating future outcomes, realistically assessing your professional opportunities and envisioning yourself both in the short-term and long-term perspective.

! ANM.: Insgesamt länger als bei den Anderen

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Portraitfoto © Cinema Next | Brisilda Bufi