While times are uncertain, young Middle Eastern artists are paving the way towards a brighter future with their unbridled passion and creative ingenuity. Hannah Patten has proven that millennials are taking their role as curators of the arts seriously and that the MENA region’s legacy of artistry is still alive and well. We sat down with Cairo native Hannah Patten to ask her about life as a creative and how she uses art to create hope.
For the people that don’t know, can you explain what a visual jockey does?
A VJ is in charge of visually curating a show and aesthetic theme relevant to the event, music, venue and audience. In events, this can either be done by physically mapping onto a surface with a projector or directly feeding the visuals onto LED screens – it really depends on what you are working with. There are a range of programs that can be used that allow you to manipulate your content as you see fit. In my mind, you get to create an identity and soul for the event, which is an amazing privilege.
How did your journey as an artist begin? Was there a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your passion for art?
I have always been a sucker for anything aesthetically pleasing, and as the years passed, on my obsession grew along with my confidence and I started sharing my findings online just for fun. I had no clue however about visuals or about wanting to go into this field. I had worked in the nightlife scene for a couple of years by then so I had already seen a lot of visuals but never really put it together myself. The big moment that happened for me was when I was trying to leave Egypt. I was being interviewed for the job of my dreams at the time in Amsterdam with a music festival (sigh) and was about two interviews in, when in a casual conversation one of my friends suggested that if the job doesn’t work out, since I love visual arts so much, that I should take a course. In my head I was already in Amsterdam walking into my new office with a kick in my step. I ended up not getting the job and my heart was crushed. I was down, so I took the jump and tried to distract myself from what seemed to be the biggest failure of my life. As cliche as it sounds, it seemed a bit like fate and the course changed my life.
How did you start out?
I have been lucky to be a part of a lot of diverse events. Nightlife events is how I personally started out. Having worked in the party scene for a couple of years already, I was lucky enough to have a good base of contacts who trusted me, so I was getting regular work and given the chance to experiment on the go from the very beginning. I was new and trying to make this craft my own. I was listening to fantastic music, around people I loved and doing something that called out to me. The scene was on fire! I got to work with a lot of different organizers who all had different visions, so the versatility pushed me a lot and their trust in me motivated me to experiment.
You have brushed shoulders with some very famous people! What types of events have you visually curated?
I have worked on a wide range of events from corporate events such as the Gouna Film Festival After Party in 2018, the Kings Polo After Party featuring Nelly and Tyga, the Pepsico School league signing with SL Benfica, restaurant launches, fashion events and private events. The first event I worked outside of parties, I was so confused…I was in a completely new setting. It was an interesting shift from the super wild visual sets that I was used to doing in parties – and it shaped my interest in working outside of my comfort zone. Here I had been a year or so thinking my work could only apply to one environment, when in reality you can shape yourself around the event and make it your own.
Have you ever done visuals for a wedding?
My first wedding then came along. Visuals in weddings were not something of the norm at the time, so being a part of this new wave was such a thrill for me. I love to be able to contribute to a couples’ special day and more often than not, I tend to tear up a little during the first dance. A lot of the couples I have worked with end up being great friends so weddings just hold a very special place for me.
You are always challenging yourself, what was your latest adventure?
My latest new adventure was a music concert for Hamaki at Cairo Festival City. This concert was a huge milestone for me because it was my first one. Not to mention, I was using completely new equipment on the day that I had not used before with a crowd of 10,000 people or more. There is nothing more touching than sharing your vision on a screen that size, to that many people and having that connection with them. It’s a very overwhelming feeling and several times during the night, I was simply in disbelief that I was doing it. You take a step back and you’re like, “yas Hannah yas!”
Do you think that art has the power to affect any kind of social change?
Art has the ability to change anything. It can inspire you, drive you, anger you and educate you – and from all these emotions comes a reaction (on whatever size scale). This reaction is the change. Art is a very personal thing for me; it has made me more confident and more expressive. When I visited Atelier des Lumieres in Paris two years ago to see their Gustav Klimt show, I was so overwhelmed with the exhibition that I sat on the floor and cried. Atelier is Paris’s first digital art center featuring 120 video projectors and spacial discrete audio with controlled directivity that lets you walk through an immersive show of these artists. It’s breathtaking. In terms of social change, you can say that this is a new way of seeing art as opposed to previous generations, instead of seeing a painting on a wall in a museum alone, you get to walk through it and watch it shift below your feet and onto the ceiling. You feel at one with the audience and the artist; that kind of beauty will only give light to positive energies within the community and that’s where the change is.
How do you think the artistic community has changed in Cairo in the last five years?
Wow, honestly, the community here has exploded in the last five years. You have kids in school dropping out to pursue the arts, you have retired artists jumping back in the game, and it has become quite a delicious cocktail of characters! What I would say is that there definitely a heightened sense of personal identity and a mentality of “I’m going to do whatever I want to do, and if you don’t like it…” well you can guess the rest. That’s where the gold is. There is a misconception of “oh no one was around back then or what?” but that’s not true, artists have always been around. We just need a community to nurture and feed us. Social media as well has blown things off its hinges; you can literally message any artist you like now and almost automatically get a response, so collaborations are easier to do, experimenting is highly encouraged and you have a whole community willing to do that with you. It’s brilliant!
Quick Questions
If you could be born in another period of history, when would it be?
100% the 70s. Bellbottoms and the rise of disco.
What fictional character from literature or film would you like to meet?
Louis Bloom from Nightcrawler.
Who is your favorite artist of all time?
Ignasi Monreal. Check out his work with Gucci.
What gives you hope?
Taking everything with a sense of humor.
Describe yourself in a hashtag.
#micdrop – for the stand up comedian I am and all
