Takeover Tuesday with Murat Sayginer
Q&A with Murat Sayginer, a Turkish self-taught digital artist who works in motion design, filmmaking, photography, and music composition.
Q&A with Murat Sayginer
Read time: 5min
Zodiac - Evolution, 2014. Murat Sayginer.
Madison Caprara:
Hi, Murat! If you don’t mind, I’d like to start the interview by having you give a little background on yourself and your work for those who may be unfamiliar.
Murat Sayginer:
I am a self-taught digital artist and I work as a motion designer, filmmaker, photographer, and composer.
I got involved with photography and digital art in 2007. As early as 2008, my works started getting recognition. I got selected for the IPA Best of Show exhibition in New York and in 2010, I was awarded Emerging Talent of the Year in The Photography Gala Awards. These awards motivated me even further to pursue my creative calling.
Murat Sayginer:
Later on, I got into 3D and motion design. I wanted to create new realities that break free from the limitations of the physical world and use them in my storytelling. Starting in 2013, I directed and produced several animated short films which were screened in over 200 film festivals including Academy Award Qualifying Festivals, such as Animest and AIFVF.
In 2019, I assembled ten of these short films under the title of The Flying Fish which is one of my seminal works. The Flying Fish went on to receive the Vitriol Award as the Best Experimental Film in The First Hermetic International Film Festival in Venice.
Madison Caprara:
Motion design, filmmaking, photography, music composition...what niche did you being exploring first, and what originally drew you to it?
Murat Sayginer:
I started with photography but couldn’t get enough of it. Now, it’s more about creating no matter the medium.
Madison Caprara:
Do you find yourself prioritizing or favoring one niche over the others?
Volans, 2013. Murat Sayginer.
Murat Sayginer:
I believe that the essence of a piece should define its format before all.
Madison Caprara:
Now, I understand that you are self-taught. How did you go about developing your skills?
Murat Sayginer:
I learned a lot from online tutorials. That’s really it. The rest is the effort you put in.
Madison Caprara:
You are pretty involved in the NFT space. When and why did you start?
Murat Sayginer:
I got into NFTs about 10 months ago. “Because it felt so empty, without me.”
Madison Caprara:
There seems to be a lot of debate on the differentiation between “artwork” and “crypto artwork”? Do you notice a difference in the two’s creative processes?
Murat Sayginer:
NFT’s didn’t bring anything new to the table in terms of digital art. It’s just a matter of presentation and circulation.
Extremes, 2015. Murat Sayginer.
Madison Caprara:
How do you decide if you are going to create a “normal” or a“crypto” piece?
Murat Sayginer:
It really doesn’t make a difference to me. I create a piece and it becomes part of the blockchain when minted.
Madison Caprara:
From your experience, what is the most important thing new artists and collectors need to be aware of before delving into the metaverse?
Murat Sayginer:
Security, research, communication, and your network.
Madison Caprara:
What is your opinion on the current NFT scene? Where do you see it going in the future?
Murat Sayginer:
My latest project refractions.xyz puts a finger on the map. Let’s include the intro in this interview!
“We’ve lost track of The Flying Fish. This is a new, yet familiar, territory. A dimension where physics is ruled by metaphors, and fiction builds reality. Those CryptoFish seem to be leading the way, looks like we’re gonna be sailing for a while…
Morphing Dreamscapes from a Cosmic Exhibition
The migration is happening. Feeding on all sorts of creations. The metaverse has become a digital playground with an ever-expanding gravitational mass. The transition won’t be simple as we’re building a home made of light in the pivotal phase of our evolution. Not that any of this requires conscious effort.”
Say That You Love Me, 2020. Murat Sayginer.
Madison Caprara:
Pivoting over to your filmmaking experience, your short film, The Flying Fish, gained quite the notoriety. You briefly mentioned it, but can you tell us more about the film?
Murat Sayginer:
Collaborative efforts were made for the music, but the rest took about seven years to complete. As for the inspiration, I wouldn’t know where to start. Astrology had a great influence on the story.
Madison Caprara:
Though the film lacks the traditional sense of a narrative, it still conveys an important message: the human condition and our progress as a whole. Why was this theme so important to you?
Murat Sayginer:
I had to be practical in terms of length and quality. The traditional rules and narratives weren’t as sharp. The theme wasn’t especially important for me, I just had the right amount of experience to talk about it.
Madison Caprara:
What initially surprised you when entering the filmmaking industry that you had been previously unaware of as a motion designer?
Murat Sayginer:
My life has turned into a cartoon. What else can surprise an animator?
Madison Caprara:
You compose the music in your films, correct? What importance does music hold in your life as an artist?
Murat Sayginer:
I like how undeniable can music be. Harmony and beauty lift every piece higher.
Madison Caprara:
And finally, is there anything particularly exciting we should be looking forward to from you in the near future?
Murat Sayginer:
Cryptofish.io will be my main focus for now!
The Flying Fish, 2019. Murat Sayginer.