“Hybrid” was the answer Su Tomesen gave me without hesitation, when I asked her to describe Rio de Janeiro in one word. Our conversation went on from there. 

“When I went to Port-au-Prince for City One Minutes I bought a second camera just in case, because I didn’t want to bring the project in any danger. I knew I couldn’t get one over there. In the end I didn’t really need it though. It was only later that I realized this second camera would come in handy when I went to Rio de Janeiro. Three years ago, when I spent my first day in Rio de Janeiro, I was almost robbed by street children. The park where I was that Sunday was unusually empty for the time of day.” That experience was on her mind when she visited Rio for the second time: “You should be very careful with the stuff you carry around with you. On certain times of the day you should not be walking on your own and walking without guidance is not recommendable in certain areas of the city.”

Despite this notion, Tomesen has been able to film in the areas of town that are considered to be less safe: “Through Ibiss, a Dutch foundation, I got in touch with people that have access to the more dangerous parts of town. Ibiss is an organization that tries to help out youngsters whose talents lie in culture and sports. In their presence I could film in Vila Aliança without encountering any problems.” The danger mentioned before was not directly noticeable: ” In a favela a minority is walking around with guns, the rest of the population does not and doesn’t want to. The minority carrying a gun does determine the reputation and the overall security, of course.”

Why did she choose to go to Rio de Janeiro? “In 2006 I have done some filming and photography of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Something that happens to many, happened to me as well: I immediately became a fan of Brazil and more so of São Paolo. In São Paolo people spoke in Portuguese with me, which gave me the feeling of belonging in the community there. In Rio de Janeiro this feeling wasn’t that strong. I didn’t really come across as an inhabitant of Rio, as a Carioca.” When Su Tomesen was asked for the City One Minutes project, the artist could choose a city she wanted to discover. As São Paolo had already been filmed, she took the opportunity to get to know Rio de Janeiro better. “The beauty of Rio has made the assignment quite easy. Leaving the clichés behind in filming is a lot tougher though.”

Based on her previous visit to Rio de Janeiro Tomesen had drawn up a list of typical locations: “On that list there was the boat to Niteroi (a journey that offers a great view on Rio’s skyline), Bondinho (the most familiar tram that runs through Rio) and Samba (a term that doesn’t need any clarification).” Besides these places, Tomesen wanted to be triggered on the spot by things she witnessed, and keeps the purpose of the project in the back of her mind: “With every film I asked myself and others: Why is this Rio de Janeiro? What’s so typical about this scene?”.

 In the end, Su and eleven other filmmakers came up with 30 video’s of one minute: “This offered the organization some options. One of the chosen video’s is my favorite: Aterro do Flamengo by Mauricio Lima. This minute long video is very strong on its own merit. The video makes you question, it has more than just one layer.”

Curious about the hybrid Rio de Janeiro? Check out the video’s here. Want to know more about Su Tomesen and her work? Go to her website.