Sybille Castelain: LIFE IN SHORT

Me around the world (70's - 80's):

Me and mi mamita; me alone; me in Punk era; me as a Punk in Post-Punk era

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The world:

Somewhere on the Rhine I was born but started to walk at Berck Plage, North of France, where the great paralytics are sent in hope of walking again. A few more steps on the wild dunes and off we flew to Martinique. When Punk exploded we took refuge to Togo, West Africa, where little girls and women plated their hair instead of sugar sculpting Mohawk hairstyles. Then, the Horn of Africa winked at us where Rimbaud used to wander and where the Red Sea showed off its Diaspora. The souks of North Africa were another wonder, but all things end some say... On our return to “Western civilisation”, I got lured to extravagant sounds air waving on pirate radios and hitchhiked to Paris to reach clandestine parties: the 80’s.

90's, Paris/London: Me in Les Inrocks era; me in dreads in Shepherd's Bush;

me with snakes in my first reportage for a photojournalism course

Paris:

My interest in studying was pretty limited. I convinced myself that in order to be a journalist or a photographer, I had to read magazines and I did and I called up bi-monthly Les Inrockuptibles. They gave me an administrative job, editorial assistant job, subscription-manager-with-nobody-below-me job, dealing with unwanted PRs job, calling freelances to photo shoots or interviews job, sending magazine issues to private properties of David Bowie; Leonard Cohen; Nick Cave; Etienne Daho; Philippe Djian and other “unknown” male artists-writers-filmmakers-musicians... job! On my very first day, I was introduced to the eight males team (I was the youngest and the only female). Only Jean-Daniel Beauvallet had something to say apart from “Bonjour”: “We are severe but fair!”

It was hard work but I loved it. I was all excited when they planned to become monthly and weekly, but it seemed a long road to go... I kept their secret of changing formats but left. I was offered a position at Les Cahiers du Cinema and Nova, but took up a photography class late 1992 in Paris and left for London.

London:

The 90’s were a mad period: a fusion of acid music, Brit Pop, Cool Britannia, YBA antics and so on. So, I joined the crowd while studying photography. I was also Ed Lewis cinema assistant at the Riverside Studios. Some French music magazines employ me as a freelance journalist and photographer while I worked for various programs at GLR – now BBC London; Resonance FM and Ladbroke Grove FM. I also worked a few hours a week as a photo technician and later as a photo lecturer at Roehampton University: 10 years in a great surrounding and cool colleagues.

Once a week, I dealt with Amnesty International UK press office and set up a photo archive system.

When the new century was approaching, I approached it with philosophy: pretending nothing was happening and forgetting about the millennium bug! I kept most of the jobs and added Film London to my repertoire. I researched locations and photographed them.

Having spent over a decade in West London and going through an intense period of changes, I packed for the East, joining a happy nine mad warehouse mates. I declared myself an event manager running film and music nights while coordinating with Wushu classes and other community activities. I dealt with record companies, film distributors and searched for partners such as Time Out. I was asked to do a Bjork’s Medulla pre-listening night for her label One Little Indian and the event was sold-out. Despite gaining more credibility, the warehouse became a refuge for too much of too much and I privileged a sane working environment... a David Lynch like warehouse was my recluse base in a pee smelling dodgy street! In 2005, a few months after the terrorists attack, I flew to Latin America.

Me in Peru celebrating (never on cocke tho)

Latin America - Peru:

I thought I would stay for a short time - like trekking 10 hours in the Amazonia, staying in a remote Cloud Forest community for some months, then staying in the Andes... Expect the unexpected - but was “kidnapped” for three years. A local curator asked me to organise and promote audio-visual events for Bjork’s work as well as bring Mathew Barney’s DR9 art film. I even got Bjork to include Peru in her Latin American tour. Other events with Radio Nova, Chris Blackwell's label, etc were sold-out: I combined the promotion of Western contemporary art with Peruvian emerging artists. Some have now won some prizes and studied abroad. Before leaving the country I stayed in a Shipibo community at a shaman's place, fishing piranhas and eating them with bananas.

Why did I decide to visit Stonehenge in 2010 with such outfit? No idea, I just did! (woz my bday)

London:

Today, I keep a strong eye on artists anywhere in the world and write about the London scenes... mostly. I’ll be a happier person if I could write more / promote acts / research / archive / curate... and yes, being paid for it would be an advantage!

Work at present