70 71september 2011 september 2011

afterhours

It all started from the odd job-with-no-name in the ’80s; Merrill Aldighieri offered to create a niche video to flow with the pulse in the club instead of the bright and monotonous TV screen

that constantly slapped the cosy ambience at the New York nightclub Hurrah. Her friend then coined the art form “video jockey”, so they could put some sort of job description on her pay packet. Then the MTV generation altered the term VJ into a media personality that had nothing to do with jockeying videos.

Some 30 years hence, two apes are currently trying to give VJ back its meaning, with a playful

spin. The two are the most positive apes I’ve ever met, regardless of the fact they’ve evolved into homo sapiens. Cole Johnson and Sabrina Minnon are the apes and their visual project is called VideoApes. “Actually it has nothing to do with apes. The word comes from ‘videotapes’ and I’ve always wanted to use the word. But VideoApes is easier to say, so VideoApes it is,” he explains. “After all, we don’t want to be taken too seriously. It’s about being fun and silly,” the duo’s other half adds.

Basically, they are not introducing a pre-chosen video play list; instead, they mix video clips, visual footages, and some original

motion graphics of their own creation to match the beat of the music playing. In other simpler words: live video mixing – much more unprompted than mentioning what’s next on the chart, but not that ill prepared either. They always have their clients in mind and try to highlight them. So they make a stab at doing a pre-mix if it’s for a thematic event and conduct some trivial research about what kind of music the DJ or the act will perform.

Cole and Sabrina have some sort of Robin S Sharma’s “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” thing going on – both have a successfully steady background, but in search of more meaning to

life, they came to the island, fell in love with the possibility of exploring every nook and cranny here, and so the story goes. The love affair gives them sovereignty to express themselves. “Unlike some other places, I have the freedom to have a voice here. I don’t get dictated by what the client wants but they come to me because of who I am,” Sabrina explains. She was an animator, visual concept artist, and art director for several knockout TV commercials.

Stimulating optical ambience, their muses are plenty. “Inspiration questions have always been the hardest questions because we have so many references but none of them really became that specific ‘one’,” Sabrina quips. On their videos and other live shows, you will most likely spot their handmade designs. Obsessed with imperfection, they prefer low-fi low-tech visual media and ones that get their hands un-idle. “You can find inspiration everywhere, even in an Angelina Jolie movie,” Cole says. Their trademark is to make people keep guessing and reminiscing where they’ve previously seen some of the old footages the pair uses – perhaps from some childhood film from the ’80s, or an obscure band’s music video? And while the audience embarks on a nostalgic reverie, VideoApes’ works are subconsciously instilled in the minds of viewers. Genius.

Somehow, some people are still clueless about what VideoApes are actually doing. Often it is hard to understand the set-up of all the wiring, mixers, projectors, and screens when conducting an event where the music is typically the main focus. This sets them aside, out of the spotlight, and VideoApes is merely a complementary ambience. The eye-candy-dealing apes realise this fact and take advantage from it. “[Because of this], we have the opportunity to experiment and be spontaneous without expectations,” the male ape says. Oblivious because of the music, some crowds take them for granted, “but several times, they just stare up at the ceiling or even take pictures of our images. That’s fun,” the female ape says.

For them, this is no monkey business. VJ-ing has introduced their works to prominence and they have recently done promotional projects for Volcom Indonesia and Cast Eye Wear. This day job has provided them with more space for creativity and not to mention some extra bananas, which never hurts. All that without being nothing less than a cheeky monkey. • virginia listyani

in an ever evolving world of multi media, after hours environments are no longer reserved for aural pleasures, but also those of the visual kind, as video jockey duo videoapes show us

monkey see, monkey drew

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