Overview

How To Lean To was shot on expired 16 mm film, and processed in a film developer known as Cafenol, made from chemistry found at home; coffee, vitamin C and washing powder. I made it during the mundane task of applying for a home loan. As a single queer artist, the system can seem stacked against you. By the time I had finished the film the bush fires of 2019 just ended and the COVD pandemic arrived. The film seemed to take on a life of its own by commenting on topics of survival and self sufficiency. The intimacy of touch is in opposition to the dry dialogue taken from ‘DIY’ manuals that appear to ghost self-help books and apocalyptic ‘prepping’ literature. The film lists, seemly unrelated topics, but considered as a whole an open question emerges: How to lean to?