Overland to New York An interview with Kaupo Homberg and Efy Zeniou ...
two out of five young people who dared with four rickety Ural carriages to set off over 40,000 kilometers for two and a half years from Halle an der Saale in an easterly direction to reach New York by land. The three other actors of this adventurous journey, namely Anne Knoedler, Elisabeth Oertel and Johannes Foetsch, I do not want to conceal here, even if they were not present during our conversation.
Graphics: From the flyer for the film
What do these five young people have in common that they dared to venture on such a journey? Certainly there was a good deal of adventure, courage and - as they say themselves - naivety. They got to know each other as an art student. At least this will have helped them a lot in the later creation of their film and book, but not in the 972 breakdowns that they experienced during their trip with the motorcycles. Here they were dependent on the active help of people - chance acquaintances - in Georgia, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Eastern Siberia and later the USA. It is due to their sympathetic and cosmopolitan appearance that they have always found this help and made friends in the process.
When their trip ended in New York after two and a half years, they - actually purely by chance - on a lecture tour with Dr. Met Daniel von Rüdiger, a musician, artist, expedition researcher, filmmaker and motorcyclist. The chemistry between them was right, so that from then on they worked together for over a year. What came out is a movie about a journey that couldn't be more authentic, more adventurous or more human. It differs significantly from the many films about motorcycle travel with staged scenes that were repeated over and over until they fit. The group documented themselves on their journey and recorded them in Dr. Daniel von Rüdiger found someone who can perfectly cut this material together and underlay it with appropriate music.
Image:
From the flyer for the film "On the Land Road to New York", rights "LEAVINGHOMEFUNKTION.COM"
I got to know Kaupo and Efy in Gelsenkirchen during a film on their promotion tour through Germany. The immediately nice contact led to this interview a few days later, in which the two personally answered some questions about their trip. So that I don't have to read my name again and again, I hide behind my role as editor of “MopedTravel”. Have fun while reading.
In the picture: Kaupo and Efy, photo MopedTravel
MopedTravel:
Did you already know each other or did you come together for the trip?
Kaupo:
I met Johannes in 2008 when I was doing an exchange course in Halle an der Saale. I was there for a year. That's how I got to know him, but also the others.
Efy:
I met Johannes and Elisabeth at an artist residency in Rotterdam. The two had already planned the trip. They were very enthusiastic about their idea and the preparations for it. So it all went well without me. I got around to it and joined the planning.
I took over the organization of the “crowdfunding”. (Red .: Crowdfunding is a form of financing in which investors jointly invest in a project so that it can be realized.) The crowdfunding was carried out via a website for the project.
I hadn't even planned to go with the others. As a hitchhiker, I wanted to come with me in a sidecar to Turkey and originally to Cyprus. It wasn't until I was driving that I decided to fully accompany the project.
MopedTravel:Do you also have a motorcycle license yourself?
Efy:
I don't have a motorcycle license. So I couldn't even make the decision to get on the bike myself.
Kaupo:
In 2015, after my stay in Halle, I got my motorcycle license there after my return to Georgia. The theoretical training lasted five weeks, while the practical exam lasted 30 seconds and costs just 50 euros. It was all very, very easy.
MopedTravel:
When did the direct planning for the trip actually begin?
Image: Interview with Efy
Efy:
A year before we left, planning for the trip began. The motorcycles had to be obtained. The others also had to get their motorcycle license. Then there were the vaccinations for the regions we wanted to drive through.
MopedTravel:
So the motorcycle driving licenses were acquired especially for this trip?
Efy:
Yes. For this trip we still had to get the motorcycle license, except for me. I don't have a motorcycle license.
MopedTravel:
Was it a problem to venture such a trip with such a fresh driver's license without driving experience?
Efy:
Well, contrary to the custom in Georgia, a lot more exercises and driving lessons have to be completed for the driver's license in Germany. I think you learn very well and very precisely there how to handle a motorcycle. It was fun learning all of these many rules and then driving off right away.
MopedTravel:
Why did you actually ride a motorcycle and not just a car?
Kaupo:
The idea was to drive open all the time, not in a box like a car. We didn't want to allow any borders or barriers. In a car you are more separate from the environment. It's a lot easier to meet people and socialize with a motorcycle.
MopedTravel:
You are all trained artists. Did that help you on this trip?
Kaupo:
For me yes. Before that, I dealt with the economic situation in the countries we wanted to travel through. And I was very focused on this trip. I was interested in the cultures and the stories behind them. For me it was like crossing borders. However, I did not learn a trade such as mechanic before studying. Not even the others. We are all artists with no manual experience when it comes to repairing vehicles.
We didn't know how to fix these bikes. When we started we did a lot wrong and created a number of difficulties ourselves. So one problem followed another. But after a few months we worked our way into it and knew very well what to do. We learned from the many people in Russia who helped us from one city to the next. In this way we also learned where we can get spare parts and how we change them.
MopedTravel:
Why did you ride Ural motorbikes and didn't choose a less susceptible brand?
Efy:
We chose this brand precisely because it is specially tailored to the regions we have driven through. These motorcycles are known in all former Soviet states, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Eastern Siberia.
It's a very cheap motorcycle and we could find spare parts everywhere. All of this brought us into contact with the people, because we wanted to get to know them on our trip. In Russia in particular, the people were very happy that we were traveling with Ural sidecars and not with German motorcycles. We ourselves were also very happy afterwards about this decision to ride with such teams.
MopedTravel:
Did you have any outside inspiration for this trip? I'm thinking of the Easter experiences of the journalist Andreas Hülsmann or the “Long way Round” trip by the two actors Iven Mc. Gregor and Charley Borman.
Efy:
I know the film "Long way Round". But I only heard about it when we were closer to the "Road of Bones". Johannes and Elisabeth knew beforehand about the experiences of the two adventurers. They also recommended that I watch the film, but I didn't before the trip.
Kaupo:
“Long way Round” was a completely different journey than the one we took. Mc Gregor and Borman had a whole team around them. You traveled very quickly. For that reason alone, it was a very different journey. We took the same road but the trip was completely different.
Left picture: Kaupo in an interview
MopedTravel:
Wasn't it very difficult to cope with all of this without a team in the background?
Kaupo:
Yes, it was complicated, starting with the “funding” (Red .: Crowdfunding) and the accompanying campaign, as well as the sponsoring. We didn't know how to handle the bikes either. Then the visas had to be applied for. We had to do that completely ourselves.
Efy:
The plans for the trip did not start while the trip was in progress. We prepared for it beforehand, as far as that was possible. On the way we went step by step and adjusted our plans for the trip. But you can't plan half a year in advance. This then took place "step by step". Then we could also better assess how far we would get.
MopedTravel:
When did you decide to film the trip and write a book about it?
Efy:
We decided to do this before we started the trip. We also offered that to the people in the crowdfunding campaign. But we had absolutely no idea how the book would actually be designed or what the film should look like. We just knew we wanted to do a book and a film. It was like making the decision to go to New York. We said: Okay, we'll do it. No more. We went one way after the other.
The book devoured a lot of time afterwards. But we learned a lot in the process.
MopedTravel:
You always lived together under one tent roof when you weren't driving. There was no privacy per se. How did you cope with this situation of mutual, constant presence? Was that difficult?
Efy:
I think you can deal with such a situation after a while. I didn't know beforehand what it would be like to live in and with nature for a long time. I do believe that everyone also needs some privacy. It was certainly an interesting, social experiment. We were never interested in filming something like a “reality show”. We just made the decision to stay together all the time. It was an interesting decision.
The good thing about living this way is the fact that you don't make any minor social twos or threesomes. Problems were discussed with each other when necessary. Everything was open, and that was a good thing in such a situation. Otherwise we were all focused on moving forward. So overall, it was a very efficient way of solving problems for a limited time.
MopedTravel:
After graduation, you certainly have goals for how life should go on. Has this trip changed your goals?
Efy:
Naturally. When you start studying, you already have very abstract ideas about what you want to do with your studies later. I believe that this trip made it clearer and more tangible for everyone what we want to do now. We learned a lot about business and networkers, how to communicate with people, talk to the press and how to design a product. We can now apply all of the things that we were allowed to learn in our artistic practice.
MopedTravel:
After these experiences, was that the only trip you made in this form or are you planning more?
Kaupo:
For now it will probably be the only trip in this form. But we have also been on the road a lot since returning with presentations and our cinema tour.
I also want to continue riding my motorcycle. But without a sidecar. It's a completely different form of driving. With a solo motorcycle I can also lean into a curve. (Is glad)
Right picture: Efy and Kaupo in an interview
MopedTravel:
972 breakdowns are a lot during a trip. Have you ever reached the point where you no longer wanted to? How were you able to motivate yourself again and again?
Kaupo:
We never really thought about giving up because of the breakdowns. The problems brought us closer to the people. And we found solutions. We always helped each other. Everyone has taken on tasks. It went on and on.
Efy:
It was very amazing to find that after every breakdown we found someone who offered their help and continued to help. It's incredible how people wanted to help. That has always motivated us to keep going. The people of Russia also wanted us to come to New York with our motorcycles after they fixed them. The breakdowns were our motivation.
MopedTravel:
Two and a half years away from home, what does that mean for your families?
Efy:
That wasn't a problem. My father was very excited about the idea. He also visited us in the States. Elisabeth's father was there too. Kaupo told his mother that he would be gone for a year. Then, after a year, he told her that he would be on the road for another year. But I am sure that the families are now happy that this trip is over. We have a large collection of emails from our mothers who were naturally concerned.
Kaupo:
My father loved our trip. He also told me a few stories from his travels through Georgia, Russia and Kazakhstan. Of course my mother was scared. The fathers were all driven to encourage us and the mothers were probably a little more worried.
Left picture:
From the flyer for the film "On the Land Road to New York", rights "LEAVINGHOMEFUNKTION.COM"
MopedTravel:
Efy, what was your job during the trip?
Efy:
I didn't have a special task other than to document and count the breakdowns. I have cataloged them all according to severity using a list in a form. After we left Georgia, we regularly emailed this list to our home for coordination so that our trip could be followed up there.
MopedTravel:You only got to know your director after your trip. How do I have to imagine that?
Kaupo:
After the trip we started to give presentations. We took part in a competition in Switzerland. Daniel was there too. He made a presentation and a film about Papua New Guinea. He was previously in this country for several months. We got to know each other at this competition. He knew how to dub and edit films and was ready to work with us.
Efy:
It's been a tough year working with Daniel. (laughs) And now we're on our promotion tour. It was a good collaboration with our director. And it was good that someone outside looked at our work.
MopedTravel:
Thank you for the interview. It was a very interesting conversation with you.
The editor of the film "972 Breakdowns - Overland to New York", Dr. Daniel von Rüdiger coordinated the many individual films and ideas of the group and, together with them, created an authentic film that is more than just worth seeing. He says:
“I got to know the five artists on a lecture tour. I was in Papua New Guinea for a long time and wrote about it. At the same event, the group told something about their trip. That's how we came together. The young people told me that they were interested in making a film out of their material. They had looked at my work beforehand and were probably impressed by my way of filmmaking.
We then decided pretty quickly to do this work together. Ultimately, we embarked on the film trip just as naively as they did on their trip through Eastern Europe to New York. I had never done a feature film before, let alone a feature film. The six of us worked on this film for a year. I spent most of the time with the group in Halle. Of course, I first had to dig through over a hundred hours of footage and cut it again and again.
The group documented itself while filming without playing anything. There was no script. That makes the work authentic, but makes the selection more difficult. I particularly liked the material from the start, precisely because it is so authentic. Elisabeth, who filmed most of it, has a very good eye and it was an honor to work with her film recordings.
Now we are on a promotion tour. The film has been in cinemas since September 3rd. A DVD will be released later. The soundtrack of my band 0101 is also out and can be purchased on vinyl and CD on the website www.972breakdowns.com. The film was also produced in English, so that we can later position ourselves more broadly and also serve non-German-speaking countries. "
Dr. Daniel von Rüdiger
Right picture: Dr. Daniel von Rüdiger