An Audiovisual Journey with Swiss-Artist,Yannick Mosimann

At Leon, art is infused in everything we do, and it’s always been important to us to find ways to support the arts—both in our local community and afar. Every year we sponsor the “Best Sound Design Award” at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, and when we saw the film by this year’s winner, Swiss-artist Yannick Mosimann, we were intrigued and wanted to learn more about him and what inspires the captivating work he creates.

Leon: First off—congratulations on winning the “Leon Speakers Award for Best Sound Design” at the 59th Ann Arbor Film Festival this year for your film “Piz Regolith.” Tell us a little bit about the film: What is it about? What was the inspiration behind it?

Yannick: Piz Regolith is a search for traces, namely one after the alpine sound. An audiovisual journey through the dialects of the Alpine region between Swiss, German, Austrian, and South Tyrolean rocks and peaks. Inspired by the sounds of the Alps, the dialects and their melodies, I tried to manipulate the mystical ideas of the mountain world and play with the expectations of the audience.

Leon: Do you find that there’s a common theme in your work?

Yannick: A common theme is the search for equality between sound and image within the cinematic form. My work focuses on intuitive processes, sensorial experiences, and the reimagination of narratives. It deals with themes like the anthropocene, nature, and human perception.

Leon: In addition to filmmaker, you also describe yourself as a “sound-artist.” How important is sound to your work? Do you treat it as its own art-form?

Yannick: Sound is very important for me and mostly for my films sound is the main inspiration to start with a new project. In Piz Regolith, I had a very strict concept in terms of sound, the film on the other hand was built up very intuitively.

Leon: Are you working on any new projects now?

Yannick: I just finished a feature film called “I have not been afraid of going blind for a long time.“ The film is an experimental essay about filmmaking itself and my own fear of no longer being able to hold or perceive my surroundings. At the moment I am trying to find festivals that would like to screen it.

There is a documentary I’m currently working on called “Normal Love” with performance artist Jeanne Spaeter that is all about understanding what we socially define as love. Why do relationships last? What's the recipe for love? With the aim of finding answers, Jeanne is conducting a one-year experiment in which she begins a relationship with a complete stranger, Mike. In the setting of an official ceremony and in front of a virtual audience, Jeanne and Mike sign a contract for a quality love relationship containing a strict set of rules. For example: call each other by nicknames, go for dinners, take vacations, spend time with their respective families, and etc. By behaving what seems to be an ordinary couple's life, Jeanne tries to fit into a heteronormative world in order to show its absurdity.

Furthermore, I work in collaboration with musicians and performers. For example, with musician and vocal artist Rea Dubach. Since 2016, we dedicated ourselves to the ongoing exchange of creative processes with focus on the conscious abolition of any type of judgement. We use real life experiences and observations as its basic materials—what emerges in a growing collection of inner and outer realities by way of image, sound, and text.

Leon: Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?

Yannick: You can check my website or Vimeo channel and follow me on Instagram, or you can write me an email: yannickmosimann@hotmail.com.