The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: David Pais of Sullen

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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I’m a musician, gamer, cinema and comics lover. All of these are intertwined and it’s interesting to see how all of my passions are so important as an inspiration which allows me to create music. I stumbled in music by pure accident, as I was passionate about sound design when I was a little kid. You see, my dad had this VCR plugged into two tape decks, and as a tiny kid I thought it was a good idea to record movies into K7 tapes and listen to them while I went riding my bike. That was the gate for soundscape exploration which sparked my interest in cinema and later on, music.

Describe your first musical memory.

Learning my hometown’s hymn by ear and performing it at a school event when I was 7.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

This is a real pickle. I have two moments that I can’t shake out of my head and I can’t reduce to one. The first was listening to Issues from Korn, from top to bottom and crying when the album ended. The second was Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory from Dream Theater. It got me hooked from the first second and when the album ended I had to listen to it again immediately. I was mesmerized and couldn’t believe what I just heard.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

I would have to say when I became a fully-fledged atheist. I went into a long introspective journey and felt all my faith completely shaken and ultimately destroyed. But in a good way. Still, that was an intense struggle, trying to justify my existence without an “omni-presence”, which in lieu of the circumstances and serious analysis is nothing but a zombie-analogy that enslaved my mind for a long period of time.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Evolution of oneself, allowing the mind to grow, mature and expand on subjects that were unknown before. Evolution as a whole species as well, I believe.

How do you define success?

When your passion becomes your work. Then you know you’re successful, regardless of actually being successful in the eyes of other people.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?.

My Covid-belly. I’m pregnant. Now seriously. Watching as one old computer of mine was “dying”, and all of my musical projects were there, and I had no way of transferring the files at the time. I lost a lot of work. I still have shivers when I think about it.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

A video-game. And also co-writing an album with Skynd. I’m particularly fascinated by her complexity and expression, and I would love to spend hours talking with her about her work and to debate what’s in the mind of serial killers and explore it musically. It’s a subject that intrigues me and I love their music, so that’s something I’d love to create.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

To reflect the vicissitudes of existence and to make us reflect about ourselves with someone else’s work. I don’t mean by objectively analyzing it, but by absorbing its content and dwelling in the meaning of it.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Perhaps becoming a father and finishing my video game. Not necessarily at the same time or in any particular order. Also, the end of this pandemic.

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Sullen, Nodus Tollens – Act 1: Oblivion (2021)