PROJECTS
Featured long term projects I worked on and the history behind them.
One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Trees – La Biennale di Venezia
The story
In 2023 the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia opened, White Arkitekter was invited by curator Lesley Lokko to exhibit in the main exhibition; “The Laboratory of the Future”. The exhibition included 89 participants, over half of whom were from Africa or the African Diaspora.
The exhibition digs deep into questions of how to live in a world of binaries, and the global issues of decolonisation and decarbonisation.
In contrast to previous years, 2023’s Biennale didn't present solutions through buildings. Instead, it courageously posed challenging and uncomfortable questions, prompting a profound reevaluation of architectural practices. As Leslie Lokko pointed out, 'The voice of architecture has historically been a singular, incomplete voice. Inclusiveness and representation have not been at the forefront.' 2023 year's Biennale marked a departure from this past approach, pushing for a more inclusive and representative future in architecture.”
Photo by Martin Lang - Venice - 2023
A Cinematographer's Perspective on Scandinavian Architecture
Photo by Martin Lang - Venice - 2023
Framing the Timber Tower
I was invited to work on this project by White Arkitekter. Helping them out with the film production side of the project and at the same time being a team member as a DOP in a small but tight group working on the goal to deliver the content of White arkitekter’s contribute to the Biennale. After working with projects like “Råängen” my path with both architectural film had been crossed before. But also with White Arkitekter at a distance. But little did I know from the beginning what scale we were working on in both artistic sense but also how big the audience would be. Dreaming of sketching houses as a little boy, loving the material wood an at the same time being passionate about the environment. This was a deep dive in to many layers of interest!
The voices of the forest
Multiple voices were also heard, four interviews shot in Stockholm in a studio together with sound technician Oliver Börnfelt. From ecology, technology and activism to carbon were discussed which illustrate the complexities and contradictions within current approaches to counter the climate and biodiversity emergencies which we are all facing. This interviews were mixed with animations, conceptually reference back to the main films of Forest, Factory and Buildings, made by artist Clara Terne.
Sara Kulturhus in Skellefteå, Sweden, A 20-story timber building, acts as a starting point and example to explore building technology, material supply chains and their impact on the forests from which it was built. The challenge lays in conveying the scale of this structure while highlighting its sustainable design. Through careful framing, we aimed to showcase not just the building's physical presence, but also its environmental significance. As a cinematographer, I don't just document these projects, I help to tell White’s story. Whether it's the energy efficiency of a timber building or the environmental impact of the very same building, my job is to bring these concepts to life through visual storytelling.
Large-scale screens, in this case three canvas hanging in the roof like floating sails helped present the reality of the industrial forest, the grand scale of the wood industries and the public building at true scale. Wildlife, people, and weather added layers to further connect the very north of Europe with the audience at the Biennale in Venice, Italy.
Photo by Martin Lang - Skellefteå - 2023
Looking Ahead
Working on this projects has been an inspiring journey!
To be part of the project on an early stage and work through out to the delivery together with a very competent crew and at the same time have the guts to ask “why” we did what we did, made this a close to heart project! As we move towards a more environmentally conscious future, I look forward to capture more such innovations on film, contributing to the dialogue on a sustainable future.
Video by LangFilm - 2023
Crew
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Curated by: Jake Ford & Elena Kanevsky
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Cinematographer & editor: Martin Lang
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3D artist: Clara Terne
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B-Roll: Pär Olofsson
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Sound: Oliver Börnfelt
Facts
THE BIENNALE ARCHITETTURA
The world’s biggest architecture festival, opened to the public on 20 May 2023, and was running through to Sunday 26 November 2023.
With 285,000 total visitors and 2,500 journalists registered for the pre-opening.
The film was shot on location in Skellefteå, Sweden & in studio in Stockholm Sweden. The total production time was about 4 month.
Year: 2023
The story
The Cathedral Council in Lund decided in September 2012 to participate in the construction of the new suburb area Brunnshög located on the north-eastern edge of Lund, Sweden.
Led by Cathedral Treasurer Mats Persson and Cathedral Curate Lena Sjöstrand, the project involves a project group representatives from the Cathedral, White Architects, and the project's curator. This group are responsible for the development of the project and its associated and its art program that communicates with the people of Lund.
The initiative aims to transform a twelve-hectare unused field on the outskirts of Lund into a new community through art, architecture, and dialogue.
The project adopts a gradual and complex development approach, emphasizing the importance of respecting the area's history, atmosphere, and identity.
The activities involve artists and architects creating art work, buildings, and discussions to foster a sense of community. The project seeks to build a neighbourhood that extends Lund's historical core, emphasizing values such as respect for nature, agricultural land, a sense of belonging, and openness to all.
Collaboration is crucial, involving tight partnerships with construction companies, housing associations, cultural organizations, and individuals in the neighbourhood, as well as Lund's municipality. The project aims to learn from other initiatives, borrowing ideas and creating connections across continents and historical periods.
Photo by Martin Lang - Råängen - 2021
A significant portion (85%) of the construction will be carried out in collaboration with others, while the remaining 15% will be self-built by the Cathedral Council. The profits from the former will be reinvested in the latter. The project's building program will explore questions of chance versus certainty, ownership models, self-construction programs, population structure changes, spatial standards, the sharing economy, responsible construction amid the to climate crisis, and housing needs and accessibility.
The ultimate goal is to stimulate a broad discussion on how people should live in the new century, with the hope that the project's explorations will have a broader impact on Råängen's development.
Hage
"Hage" is a garden within the Råängen project, designed by Norwegian architects Brendeland and Kristoffersen. This first permanent structure, inaugurated in 2021, is open to the public, responding to the question of how to foster a new community, emphasizing the social space.
The garden, created in collaboration with engineers Price and Myers, features seating under a steel roof and a three-sided brick wall. It marks the beginning of a new neighbourhoods development, transitioning from a standalone landscape object to an integrated part of the community. "Hage" was a finalist in the 2022 Kasper Salin Prize, awarded Lund's City Planning Prize in 2021, and was among the finalists for the 2022 European Prize for Urban Public Space. In 2022, the design studio Byggstudio was invited to activate the garden with events involving the local community, schools, and organizations.
Photo by Martin Lang - Råängen - 2021
The movie
The movie Hage started off in 2019 with its pre-production stage with Linda Holster in the forefront. Linda had at this stage worked with the project Råängen a couple of years and had made some reportages before but never worked together with me. After discussing the project back and forth and finding common ground and passion for the project LangFilm took the roll as a production company for the movie. In 2021 the movie had premiere as the opening film on Lund Architecture Film Festival, and have been well received and an important roll in the communication about this project.
Video by LangFilm - Hage - 2021
The future
Hage is the first but not the last movie about Råängen in this constellation. 2023 The pre-production started up for a sequel about the first residential building in the area and 2024 the production will start.
Photo by Martin Lang - Råängen - 2019
Crew
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Directed by: Linda Holster
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Cinematographer & editor: Martin Lang
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Graphic: Lisa Olausson
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Sound: Olle Nielsen
Facts
RÅÄNGEN
is part of a larger development program led by Lund Municipality in collaboration with Lund University, Region Skåne and Lund Cathedral. An area of 450 hectares is expected to be able to offer 6,000 new homes, 600,000 square meters of workplaces, a new park and world-class research facilities by the year 2050.
The movie was shot on location at Brunnshög, Hörby and at Skissernas museum in Lund.
Production was ongoing for over three years. LangFilm was fully responsible for the post-production and film technique.
Year: 2019 - Ongoing
About
Photo by Martin Lang - Wanås
Realationship
Wanås Art is an international sculpture park, a center for art and learning run by the non-profit foundation Wanås Exhibitions. Here, international contemporary art with a focus on sculpture and installation is created, presented and communicated. Every year, international artists are invited to create art in the park. There are currently 70 permanent works of art in the collection - produced for Wanås Konst. In the beginning, the focus was on sculpture by Nordic and American artists. Today, the perspective is broadened towards the world outside the West and also includes other creative disciplines such as dance, design and writing. The mediating, educational and accessibility work is strong and growing.
Video made by LangFilm - Wanås - 2021
The collaboration between Wanås Konst and LangFilm began already in 2017 by filming two different art performances at Wanås Konst and in the village of Knislinge, Sweden. The following year, discussions began about starting a larger collaboration and in 2019 the project Wanås Konst Media was started which was a project with several legs to stand on; in film, education and documenting art. In 2020, the film "Experience Wanås Konst" was finished and a film archive was born. An archive which today is several terabytes in size and which is used and on a daily basis to create new content and communication.
Photo by Martin Lang - Wanås - 2019
The work
The work for Wanås Art has not only been in the form of filming the park, but has also been taking still images, sound recording, flying drones and not least producing material to train employees in producing simpler films themselves and becoming better purchasers of film. But having the opportunity to work in Wanås sculpture park and document its art is a privilege that I am grateful for and which develops me as a person and a film worker every time!
The future
Today Wanås Konst and LangFilm have a closer collaboration that is ongoing, which utilizes the knowledge that LangFilm has been able to build up over the years and uses the advantage that the film archive LangFilm has helped to develop.
Photo by Martin Lang - Wanås - 2019
Crew
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Curated by: Milena Høgsberg, Mattias Givell and Elisabeth Millqvist.
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Cinematographer & editor: Martin Lang
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Drone Operator: Ola Korndahl
Facts
WANÅS
The sculpture park has approximately 75,000 visits annually and 9,000 children and young people participate in educational activities such as exhibitions and workshops. Wanås Art is run by the independent non-profit foundation Wanås Exhibitions, which was created in 1994.
LangFilm have been the primary production company working with Wanås Konst since 2018.
Al the production have been shot on location and al the postproduction have been made at LangFilm.
Year: 2017 - Ongoing
My story
In the summer of 2012, I was headhunted by the Fred & Farid advertising agency, which led to full-time employment the same year in Paris, France. Soon after that, the production company Killdeath was founded, a subsidiary within the Fred & Farid Group. My daily work consisted of editing and working on pre-producing, on different types of campaigns, case studies and content for Fred & Farid. A workplace with a fast pace, rapid changes, but at the same time a creative factory with very talented employees.
Commercial shot in Paris 2012, Camera, light design, grip and SFX by Martin Lang
The Company
Photos shot in Paris 2012-2013 by Martin Lang
Fred Raillard and Farid Mokart, both raised in the Paris suburbs, began their journey as partners in the advertising industry in 2000. With backgrounds in design and political science, they initially worked in strategic planning and account management at Euro RSCG BTC in Paris. However, they soon transitioned to the creative side, serving as creative directors for six major agencies in Paris.
In 2007, Raillard and Mokart launched their own independent advertising firm, Fred & Farid, with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Shanghai, and Paris. Their first notable project was creating a musical video for British pop star Robbie Williams' "Rock DJ." This venture marked the beginning of their international success. Fred & Farid became renowned for their innovative approach to advertising, winning awards and accolades for their work. Notably, they were the first major French creative team to achieve success abroad. Their achievements include leading the launch of Microsoft XBOX in London under the guidance of UK ad legend Sir John Hegarty and spearheading the first Netflix campaign in San Francisco with US ad legend Jeff Goodby.
In 2013, Fred & Farid opened Fred & Farid Shanghai, and Fred moved to Shanghai for 5 years. Fred & Farid got very involved in developing mutual understanding between the western world and China.
Killdeath
2014 Fred & Farid Group announced the official opening of Killdeath, a production company specializing in interactive films. The company was launched 18 months before and and was based on 17 creatives and producers working across two studios in Paris and Shanghai. The company had at that time already created content for brands including Cacharel, Diesel, Schweppes, Audi, Sennheiser, Avène, La Redoute, Societe Generale, B’Twin, Orangina and Weight Watchers and artists including Monsieur Monsieur and Brodinski.
Commercial Martin Lang worked on, editing concept in preproduction.
The studio
In addition to my day-to-day work as a director at Killdeath, I was also responsible for designing the all new in-house studio at Fred & Farid that was built in 2014. This included choosing lights, sketching blueprints for the actual studio, making budgets etc.
Example of content made at FF in Paris 2013
Blueprints made in 2013 by Martin Lang
Crew
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Director: Jason Freites
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Director: Martin Lang
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Director: Patrice Chatelus
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Producer: Stéphan Clavel
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Producer: Yael Eligoulachvili
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Motion graphic Designer:
Facts
FRED & FARID
is an independent international Advertising firm with offices Los Angeles, New York, Shanghai and Paris founded by Fred Raillard and Farid Mokart. It employs around 300 people.
Martin Lang lived and worked in Paris at FF from 2012 to 2013
FF produced campaigns for brands like: Audi, Diesel, Google, Lacoste, Martini, Porsche, Schweppes etc.
Year: 2012-2013