tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70636625480535791782024-03-05T10:42:34.073+00:00SiouxWIREice better than diamondsSiouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.comBlogger581125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-82653194517247704902013-06-17T07:46:00.000+01:002013-06-17T08:05:02.730+01:00SiouxWIRE is dead, long live SiouxWIRE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello.<br />
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It has been almost 7 years since SiouxWIRE first appeared on MySpace blogs before moving here to Blogger. In that time, I've made countless friends and had lots of support from the Blogger community for which I'll always be grateful. However, the site has grown along with my aspirations for the site and because of this, SiouxWIRE will be moving onto its own server with an immense overhaul in its overall structure. I go into the hows and whys over HERE. Have a look at the site and you'll have some idea of my motivation.<br />
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So what's happening here? Well, not much. I have no plans to remove the site for now and it will remain where it is though without the siouxwire.com domain or updates. It's essentially in mothballs as the new site absorbs more and more of its content and churns up its own new cornucopia of goodness. Essentially, this post is that scene in the film where the protagonist seems to be dead but really isn't. (Or maybe antagonist if you're thinking of a typical slasher film.) This site is dead but SiouxWIRE lives on.<br />
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Much thanks for all your support and get over to <a href="http://www.siouxwire.com/">SiouxWIRE</a>; the party continues.<br />
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Goodbye.*<br />
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* <i>not really.</i><div class="blogger-post-footer"><P> </P>
From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-47352814112427038852013-05-24T14:28:00.003+01:002013-05-24T23:03:15.485+01:00INTERVIEW: Chen Whooli<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1QzQ5hDBXgY/UZ-AiIJm49I/AAAAAAAAGbE/CUyzjQMkk00/s1600/IX_WhooliChen_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1QzQ5hDBXgY/UZ-AiIJm49I/AAAAAAAAGbE/CUyzjQMkk00/s1600/IX_WhooliChen_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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On first seeing <a href="http://sometime-else.com/">Whooli Chen</a>'s illustrations, I was delighted by her unique interpretations of the subject matter and organic, surreal style. Based in Taiwan, she has a MA degree in illustration field from University of the Arts London and has worked on a number of books, newspapers, and magazines.<br />
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Whooli very kindly took time to answer a few of my questions.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Who are you and what do you do?</span></b><br />
I’m a freelance illustrator based in Taiwan. I do editorial illustrations for newspapers, magazines, graphic books, and collaborations with a variety of companies in different fields. I also run a studio with my sister.<br />
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<b>Your work are reminiscent of folk tales and children's stories. Would you agree with this and what <span style="color: #f1c232;">stories have influenced you?</span></b><br />
I do like old-time atmosphere, and also trying to take that as a key visual element in my works. I love literature. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_of_the_Red_Chamber">Dream of the Red Chamber</a>, an 18th century Chinese novel, is my latest amusement. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Carter">Angela Carter</a>’s quirky stories are always fascinating.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Would you explain the concept behind "The Travelling Project" and "The Diary Project"?</span></b><br />
Don’t have much concept behind “the travelling project” really. It’s created when I was in London. Although stay there as a student, I always felt like as tourist. So detached from the locals, seemed the days they’re living can be called a day-to-day life, rather than mine. So what we did, my sister and I, was travelling and exploring the city. The drawings were send out as postcards, described our journey in London.<br />
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“The diary project” is a collaborative project with 集日美工(365days.tw). A cover of 365days calendar notebook and entitled “Room of one’s own”. It’s about collecting, people collect leaves, coral specimen pieces, oak fruits, and childhood hair. Treasure them as they reflect our memories. Until rooms are filled. However, with a filled room, we ourselves still dream about being collected, in someone else’s room.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">For your editorial illustrations, you have a unique approach to the subject matter. How do you develop these sorts of illustrations and how much freedom are you given?</span></b><br />
Editorial illustrations are for magazines and newspapers. After I got a story form editor, I’ll read it thoroughly then pick the elements out and give the connection between them, story becomes the frame, and hopefully the relation of every little elements can be depicted and reveal the story, therefore illustrate the frame. I am always trying to find a new approach to every story, a new way to construct, to express, or, even an interpretation. As long as the illustration meets the gist of the story, and understandable. I’ve been completely trusted.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">How did you develop your skills and what would you say has been the most important thing you've learned in your career?</span></b><br />
I studied fine art before I got a MA degree in illustration. There is a fine line between these two disciplines, in training and in the way of expression as well.<br />
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When you were in school, especially in Taiwan, every assignment was about to improve your technical skills, and your capabilities to manage all the tools. However, when you are twenty, that was the whole thing you’d sniff at, ... conventional, academic,... If, there were any heritage left, I’d say, it has made “the career” much approachable.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What is the significance of animals in your work? You have mentioned missing a fox that you knew in London.</span></b><br />
“Whooli” is the pronunciation of fox in Chinese. I was living in the top floor of a 19th century yellow brick house in west London there was a red fox living across the street, sometimes I can see her sunbathing in neighbour’s back yard. I miss her, so take Whooli as a pseudonym name, it’s kind of remind me the London times.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What materials do you use to create your illustrations and why do you use these in particular?</span></b><br />
Hand drawing, and digital colouring. Digital can be adjusted easily, which save some labour for low-paid commissions...<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What have been some of your favourite responses to your work?</span></b><br />
Poetic, is one of the compliments I enjoy most.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Do you have any favourites or pieces of special importance among the work you've done?</span></b><br />
Favourite is always the next one. And, I think my MA graduated project “Land and Tales ” plays the role as a small milestone.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Who is your favourite musician, film maker, painter and writer and why?</span></b><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Chagall">Marc Chagall</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rene_Magritte">Rene Magritte</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egon_Schiele">Egon Schiele</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesca_Woodman">Francesca Woodman</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Moon">Sarah Moon</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Calle">Sophie Calle</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Carter">Angela Carter</a>. They are all inspiring and have a remarkable vision in their field of art.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What are you currently working on and what future projects do you have planned?</span></b><br />
I’m in the half way of a children’s book. And, some secret projects under the name of our studio, hopefully will come true this year.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Thank you, Whooli.</span></b></div>
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<b>Links:</b></div>
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<a href="http://sometime-else.com/">Sometime Else</a></div>
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<a href="http://be.net/whoolichen">Whooli Chen (Behance)</a><br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-2175522239706257772013-05-23T21:43:00.000+01:002013-05-24T14:30:15.624+01:00INTERVIEW: Valentina Talijan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.behance.net/ValentinaTalijan">Valentina Talijan</a> was born in Belgrade, Serbia in 1989. She is currently studying painting in Novi Sad, Serbia on Academy of Arts, and will graduate in June this year. She has participated in a dozen group exhibitions in Serbia as well as one in France and South Korea. I discovered her work on Behance and really enjoy her Kolaž series.<br />
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Featuring art students will become a regular part of the WIRE and Valentina was very charming and down-to-earth in her replies to my questions despite the language hurdle.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What triggers the creation process in you and how does it develop to its completed form?</span></b><br />
Before I start to work I intend to collect as much information as I can and to find answers to as many questions about the theme I choose to deal with. I like to think about the wind, or about the immensity of the Universe (thanks a lot Doctor Who). I would say that thinking about constant movement is what triggers creation process in me (related with works presented here). Sometimes the process consists of months of just thinking about something and a few days of materializing the idea. I believe that the art doesn’t just pop out, there is work that every artist must do; if you do not do the work everyone will know it. Regarding this particular series of collages, I spent most of the time dealing with materials that I used.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Outside the media in which you work, what arts appeal to you and/or inspire you and why?</span></b><br />
Definitely new media and performance art. New media art because art should represent the time in which it is created and we live in a time of technology. Plus their work is mainly awesome. Because I am in a phase of thinking about the artist as a piece of art, I find it very interesting. The relationship between the audience and the artist as part of the art work (or one of the objects in composition of the space involved in performance) reminds me of Baroque art spaces and the active energy in them.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">How would you describe contemporary art in Serbia at the moment?</span></b><br />
There are a few who shine. I would say it like that, because I think that my country has too many artists proportionally to its population. Personally I have a lot of respect for the work of <a href="http://www.simonidasimonida.com/">Simonida Rajčević</a> and a group of artists called Third Belgrade.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Why make art? </span></b><br />
Honestly I don’t know how to answer that question. I think that I will never find the answer and that’s a good thing. Art is not the only thing that I do, but all of the other things I do are art related.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What are your aspirations in terms of your art?</span></b><br />
I am planning to stay for a while on the project on which I am working right now. I think that I have barely made any steps from the start and that there is still a lot of work to do; and I am currently obsessed with the facts about constant motion, I just can’t help it.<br />
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.behance.net/ValentinaTalijan">Valentina Talijan</a><br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-43437248105870954432013-05-18T13:12:00.000+01:002013-05-18T17:35:01.332+01:00SiouxWIRE Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Some of you may have been wondering why there haven't been as many posts this week and what is happening. First, there are more than 50 interviews outstanding at the moment. This is terrific news but I have a policy of not pushing people to reply quickly giving them no time constraint or deadline as this tend to deliver the best, most considered replies. Second, I have forgone publishing everything I've found as my <a href="http://siouxfire.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> and <a href="http://pinterest.com/siouxfire/imaginarium-siouxwire/">Pinterest</a> accounts do this very well. Essentially, I've reserved the WIRE for interviews and longer posts.<br />
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I am so eager to share with you the incredible line up of people who will be featured in the coming months. I've interviewed talented artists from every corner of the world across a wide array of mediums including those just starting their career to the established and renowned. With the help of noble interpreters and unprecedented support from galleries, things are going very well. It won't be long before things hit critical mass and the interviews can run to the circadian rhythm I would like.<br />
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As a side note, the layout of the site is still undergoing some updates and in the mid term some very big changes are in the works. Older interviews and posts will also be updated with new material and larger images. So bear with me while SiouxWIRE ramps up to something wonderful and thank you all for your support.<br />
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all the best,<br />
Siouxfire<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*image above from The U.S. National Archives with modification</span></i><br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-21593713463815127332013-05-16T21:20:00.000+01:002013-05-16T21:26:30.723+01:00Amy Bennett's AT THE LAKE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.amybennett.com/">Amy Bennett</a>'s <i>At The Lake</i> reminds me of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julio_Cort%C3%A1zar">Julio Cortazar</a>'s <i>Blow Up</i>. I feel as if I'm looking through a lens and the closer I look, the clearer it becomes that all is not well at the lake. With a style of painting that gives her scene the look of a tilt-shift photograph with people looking vaguely like miniature figures, it has the effect of making each individual look so incredibly isolated. Even in groups (as above), individual isolation seems to be magnified as the Spartan landscape intensifies the odd focus on people despite their diminutive size.<br />
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Aside from isolation, the titles imply uncertainty and menace forcing you to investigate further. It's an odd experience seeing her paintings. At first glance or from a distance, they seem vaguely akin to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Hopper">Edward Hopper</a> but perhaps with even brighter colours and optimism. A step closer and the eye senses something isn't right. What scale is this? Are those people or toys? Even closer observation raises more questions and looking for clues in the titles adds to the mystery.<br />
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Take the image below as an example. Is the man helping the woman from the lake? Has she passed out? Why isn't she wet? Oh, there's a boat... The title is "Into the Woods". What happened before? What will happen next? I love how these paintings play on our expectations with double edged narratives enhanced so incredibly by Amy Bennett's unusual style.<br />
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"Working with common themes such as transition, aging, isolation, and loss, I am interested in the fragility of relationships and people’s awkwardness in trying to coexist and relate to one another. To that end I create miniature 3D models to serve as evolving still lifes from which I paint detailed narrative paintings. Using cardboard, foam, wood, paint, glue, and model railroad miniatures, I construct various fictional, scale models. Recent models have included a neighborhood, lake, theater, doctor’s office, church, and numerous domestic interiors. The models become a stage on which I develop narratives. They offer me complete control over lighting, composition, and vantage point to achieve a certain dramatic effect."<br />
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"While working with tiny pieces that often slip frustratingly from my fingers, I am reminded of the delicacy and vulnerability of the world I am creating, and this summons empathy for my subject. The clumsy inadequacies of miniatures help me to convey a sense of artifice and distance. I try to paint the scenes in a way that feels like a believable world, but an alternate, fabricated world."<br />
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"The paintings are glimpses of a scene or fragments of a narrative. Similar to a memory, they are fictional constructions of significant moments meant to elicit specific feelings and to provoke the viewer to consider the moment before or after the one presented in the painting. I am interested in storytelling over time through repeated depictions of the same house or car or person, seasonal changes, and shifting vantage points. Like the disturbing difficulty of trying to put rolls of film in order several years after the pictures have been taken, my aim is for the collective images to suggest a known past that is just beyond reach."<br />
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"Throughout 2010 and 2011, I created a mosaic with fabricator Franz Meyer of Munich for MTA’s Arts for Transit. Installation of the project, “Heydays” was recently completed in the 86th St./4th Ave. R Line Subway Station in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. This past summer my work was also featured in “Otherworldly”, a show at The Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. Recent awards include The American Academy of Arts & Letters The Rosenthal Family Foundation Award, a NYFA Fellowship in Painting, and a residency at The Marie Walsh Sharpe Studio Program. Sore Spots, a show of new paintings, monotypes, and sculpture, is currently on view at Galleri Magnus Karlsson in Stockholm."<br />
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amybennett.com/">Amy Bennett</a><br />
<a href="http://www.richardhellergallery.com/dynamic/artist.asp?ArtistID=41">Amy Bennett (Richard Heller Gallery)</a><br />
<a href="http://theharlow.net/tag/amy-bennett-artist/">Amy Bennett (The Harlow)</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><P> </P>
From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-74994487387182920322013-05-14T20:18:00.000+01:002013-05-15T10:31:38.347+01:00INTERVIEW: Moose Allain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aTkCzVf2jUk/UZJVehA7LSI/AAAAAAAAGVo/oCC6MqnqKog/s1600/IX_MooseAllain_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aTkCzVf2jUk/UZJVehA7LSI/AAAAAAAAGVo/oCC6MqnqKog/s1600/IX_MooseAllain_1.jpg" /></a></div>
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I have followed <a href="https://twitter.com/MooseAllain">Moose Allain</a> for a long time on Twitter and enjoying his off kilter sense of humour without realising that he also creates stuff as well. In selecting the above image as the vanguard of his work, I wanted to share something with the text-based humour that I've come to enjoy. You will not see a better use of the phrases "Flenching Plate", "Perspiration Loons" or "Drainage Runnels".<br />
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His creations are refreshing, organic reflections of his plays on language via Twitter. Though it feels a little strange being more than 140 characters in length, Moose took time out of his busy Tweeting schedule to answer a few of my questions and provide a few good laughs and insights...<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">I first got to know you when we exchanged some witty banter. You were something of an anomaly on my timeline like a kid at a party quietly speaking in tongues in the corner but in fact probably making more sense than anyone else. How has Twitter influenced your artwork?</span></b><br />
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Ha! That's a nice, flattering description. I will accept your compliment because it reflects something I've always tried to do – not just on Twitter, but in my life generally - which is to be original. Now Twitter is completely hardwired into my mind, and I think that's mainly because for me it's a creative channel. I think people use Twitter in all sorts of ways, but for me its shape is usually: “output/ a bit of replying”. In other words, I seldom have time to read the tweets of the people I've chosen to follow. Other times I would describe my Twitter activity as: “hosting”. This is sometimes in the form of a hashtag/RT process or asking a question e.g. What is your local word for an alley way? And RTing the replies. Sometimes I improvise a story in tweets. That tends to divide an audience – some people love them, but I can usually expect to lose about 30 followers when I do it. So I use Twitter in varying ways, various techniques, ultimately trying to engage an audience, entertain and be original.<br />
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My main interest in Twitter is language & the play of language. I think I've, fairly successfully, managed to integrate Twitter into my 'practice' (not a term I like). I think it means I've become a lot more than a visual artist, which is great because I'm just as interested in words as I am in images. I think some of the artists I like most, the word 'art' doesn't really cover it. They just do interesting stuff with their lives, use art as a way of exploring the world – I'm thinking of people like <a href="http://www.adamchodzko.com/">Adam Chodzko</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Calle">Sophie Calle</a> – 'art', whatever that is, is a sort of by-product of these processes. Well, that aggrandises my work far too much, but in the end it's about connecting to people en masse as well as individually. Twitter is perfect for that, it has opened me up to an audience that you then have to perform for. It has not only opened me up to an audience, but to all sorts of collaborations. I could go on about this for ages but I'll stop there.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Recently @40elephantsmob had a selection of her tweets turned into the brilliant animation Mummy Needs Gin. Have you considered turning your tweets into something more? (film, book, etc) </span></b><br />
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Yes. In short. I have made little books of my tweet stories a couple of years ago. I don't have the patience for animation, but I'd be happy for someone else to make them! I work with a local film company, <a href="http://vimeo.com/meatbingo">Meat Bingo</a>, here in Devon – we're about to start on our third project. We are lucky to have the writer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Quantick">David Quantick</a> as a key member – he's from Exmouth, and Twitter has got us together. Anyway, there's potential there. I'd love to do a book of them, illustrate them myself… But I have so many projects in my head I know I'll probably never get round to.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"...I was a child who didn't want to be like other people. I suffer from reverse peer group pressure."</span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Who is Moose? Where did he come from? What makes Moose tick? How would Moose introduce himself to a stranger? </span></b><br />
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Oh goodness, I don't know! I don't really like thinking about myself really. I am extremely grateful that I've got to a stage in my life where I can describe myself as an artist. So many interesting things are coming out of it, all sorts of projects, it feels like I'm at the beginning of things, which is so exciting. Before this I was a disillusioned architect. That's where I came from most recently. Looking at my adult life, it was a lot of drifting about never really being happy because I really wanted to be an artist but didn't think it was possible. Going back to your first question, I was a child who didn't want to be like other people. I suffer from reverse peer group pressure. That's stayed with me.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QJmoRgDfbfI/UZJcldDwLLI/AAAAAAAAGWY/dqEBm-Qzpss/s1600/IX_MooseAllain_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QJmoRgDfbfI/UZJcldDwLLI/AAAAAAAAGWY/dqEBm-Qzpss/s1600/IX_MooseAllain_3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">How much planning goes into your drawings and how much comes about organically as you work?</span></b><br />
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It's nearly all organic. I seldom pre-draw, I just have an idea and run with it. It's very liberating.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Your work on Stephen Fry's 100 Greatest Gadgets have integrated "Drainage Runnels" and "Perspiration Loons" into my vocabulary. How did you approach this project and how much of a collaboration was it with Mr. Fry?</span></b><br />
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Actually this was a quick job, which is why I resorted to collage. I had no contact with <a href="http://www.stephenfry.com/">Mr Fry</a>, simply a sentence for each of the 3 ideas which I had to illustrate. I had used the technique before for a range of cards, so I thought it would look just right and reflect his gentlemanly subversive character. The language was an important part of it, for me, although I'm not sure how much it came across on the TV. It was great fun to do.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What instigated the creation of We Meet in the Shadows and how did it develop?</span></b><br />
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A couple of years ago I decided I wanted to work bigger and with colour. Previously I'd been working tiny on my desktop so this was an attempt to loosen up a bit. It also reflected a return to architecture, in so far as I could dream up places again. The technique is to put on a wash of background colour – it's all acrylic paint and inks – then drop ink onto it and move it around with bits of plastic, straight edges, starting to form shapes. Next stage is to pick out black lines with the same straight edges, I also use a little wheel. After that I go in with the dipping pen and add more architectural detail. The final stage is to add figures and find a story in there somewhere, a theme. So the subject ends up being a response. This is very much the organic process I mentioned in the last question – I like to react.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"...I am trying to be entertaining and, this can sound trite but I don't believe it is, my work is also about bringing joy"</span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">How would you describe your subject matter or the content of your work? </span></b><br />
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The subject matter, well it's mostly stuff that's in my head. Be that visual art or writing or the two combined. In other words, I'm not an observational artist. But I am trying to be entertaining and, this can sound trite but I don't believe it is, my work is also about bringing joy. I think people really respond to that. I hate being asked what my work's like partly because it's not really like other people's work and also because it's very varied. I usually say “It's more like illustration, quite graphic and cartoony, mostly from my imagination”. That sort of covers it, but that really only describes the visual art, which isn't the whole of it by any means.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What was the last artwork to impress you and why? (painting, illustration, film, music, etc) </span></b><br />
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The last to impress me. That makes it a bit easier. I've just downloaded the recent <a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/uweschmidt">ATOM TM album</a> and there's a couple of tracks on there that I can't get enough of. A couple of days ago I went to a talk at the <a href="http://www.rammuseum.org.uk/">Royal Albert Memorial Museum</a> in Exeter about the <a href="http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/bp-portrait-award-2012/the-exhibition/prize-winners-home.php">BP Portrait Award exhibition</a> which is on there currently. It was fascinating because I am interested in painting, but the winning portrait is amazing and I had quite an emotional response to it. It's called <a href="http://aleahchapin.com/Image.asp?ImageID=1458235&apid=1&gpid=1&ipid=2&AKey=6R4J7T2G">Auntie</a> by <a href="http://www.aleahchapin.com/">Aleah Chapin</a>.<br />
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It's a painting of a smile and it smiles at you in a most incredible way – to the extent that you hardly noticed she is an naked older woman.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"...there are artists earning millions from being up themselves, so they've a right to take themselves seriously I suppose."</span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Do you think the art world takes itself too seriously sometimes? </span></b><br />
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The art world… it's so big it's about the same size as the real world, so it's hard to generalise. Some of it is shockingly up itself. On the other hand there are artists earning millions from being up themselves, so they've a right to take themselves seriously I suppose. You look at people like <a href="http://www.damienhirst.com/">Damien Hirst</a> and think it must be odd to make art that is really only ever about money now. He's like King Midas. To be honest I don't really see myself as part of an art world as my main interactions are with people who aren't in it, if you know what I mean. Just people who like my work or want to commission something or just tell me they like it. I didn't go to art school so I don't feel burdened by the need to explain myself. Artist's statements, by those who have been through the art system, are hilariously pretentious, homogeneous and meaningless. So, to be enjoyed at that level at least.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Are you working on anything at the moment or have any new projects in the pipeline? </span></b><br />
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Lots of work comes about via Twitter these days. All sorts of interesting propositions. I'm just about to finish working on a project for <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/">Tate Britain</a> – a family guide leaflet for their upcoming <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._S._Lowry">Lowry</a> exhibition. It was a great privilege to be asked to contribute. I have various writing projects in the pipeline which may or may not come off. A new film to collaborate on, more walls to draw on, a big commission which desperately needs my attention, more fun to be had on Twitter and with <a href="https://vine.co/">Vine</a> and <a href="http://instagram.com/">Instagram</a>, Oh bloody hell I've got so much to do I'd better get on<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Thank you, Moose.</span></b><br />
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.worldofmoose.com/">World of Moose</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/MooseAllain">Moose Allain (Twitter)</a><br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-58349104561777754582013-05-13T15:55:00.000+01:002013-05-13T19:16:27.281+01:00INTERVIEW: Magdalena Bors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WB822PtMErc/UZDotm_3mjI/AAAAAAAAGTQ/gRME8OtV28w/s1600/IX_MagdalenaBors_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WB822PtMErc/UZDotm_3mjI/AAAAAAAAGTQ/gRME8OtV28w/s1600/IX_MagdalenaBors_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.magdalenabors.com/">Magdalena Bors</a>' surreal and fantastical works tell tales of creation, nature and hidden places. Her labour intensive environments seem to harken back to her roots in architecture and conjure up reflections of natural environments from household materials.<br />
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While preparing for her exhibition at <a href="http://www.galleriimage.dk/">Galleri Image</a> in Denmark, she took time to answer my questions and was very sportingly, the first to submit to a "<a href="http://www.siouxwire.com/2013/05/siouxwire-sensory-interviews.html">pictaview</a>" style question for which I am delighted with the response.<br />
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First, here is her artist statement:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My practice to date has predominantly explored the idea of the sublime in the everyday. I have done this by constructing, then photographing fantastical landscapes in domestic spaces. Our connection with the natural world is the driving force behind my work. I am fascinated by the simultaneous strength and fragility of this connection as we go about our lives, spending most of our time within the confines of the small compartments we call home.<br />
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The images in Homelands can be seen as snapshots of daydreams conjured in a moment of distraction while performing everyday tasks. While the landscapes are staged in familiar spaces and use familiar objects, emotive, sometimes dramatic lighting leaves room for ambiguity about whether the scenes are ‘real’ or imagined. Homelands was born out of my own desire to be in, and to photograph the kind of landscapes that were out of my reach in the real world.<br />
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The characters in my latest series of images The Seventh Day have been overtaken by a seemingly uncontrollable compulsion to create complex environments from materials found in the domestic realm. The processes undertaken to create the landscapes are extremely labour intensive and involve repetitive, painstaking tasks. Food scraps and remnants of materials seen in the images allude to the passing of time and the physicality of the processes involved. The resulting scenes resemble familiar, sometimes iconic natural landscapes."</blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">You studied Architecture in Brisbane before studying photography; do you apply any of this architectural background to your current work? And did it help in any way to develop your photography and if so, how?</span></b><br />
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I don’t apply my architectural background consciously, but I’m sure many of the decisions I make in a design sense stem from what I learnt during that time. Looking back, I did spend a lot of my time as an architecture student producing meticulous models of my designs… The designs themselves were quite average, but the models were impressive! Architecture definitely did develop my passion for photography. It became my preferred medium for documenting everything to do with a potential project, from site and material studies, to macro photographs of those carefully constructed models. I was obsessed with recording light. One time, I stayed at a site for 24 hours to record how light fell on a wall every 15 minutes. It was also my introduction to a darkroom, where I spent many, many hours… So really, I guess Architecture more or less helped me find my medium – construction and photography. It also taught me a great deal about patience, perseverance and problem solving.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What would you say is the significance of "hidden worlds" to your work?</span></b><br />
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Hidden worlds and hidden spaces fascinate and excite me. ‘Homelands’ explores hidden worlds in both the physical sense (behind cupboards, under tables), and hidden in the psychological sense (existing only in the imagination). I’m intrigued by the duality of our public/private selves, and the level of privacy that our homes afford us, particularly in inner city areas with dense populations. Isn’t it extraordinary that you can live somewhere for years, but have no idea what goes on just a couple of meters either side of you? The scenes of ‘The Seventh Day’ are portraits of very private moments. It is only through the voyeuristic eye of the camera that we are given the opportunity to view them.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What is it about German Romantic painter <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_David_Friedrich">Caspar David Friedrich</a> that attracts you? And do you have a favourite among his work?</span></b><br />
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I’m drawn to Caspar David Friedrich’s deeply moving depictions of ‘moments of sublimity’, something I aspire to portray in my own images. I think there is a similarity in the attitude of contemporary society and that of the society of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, which is perhaps why there is an apparent resurgence in the popularity of romantic art. There seems to be a growing undercurrent of disillusionment with materialistic society, a renewed interest in spirituality and a need to re-connect with the natural world.<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"Some of the sets in ‘The Seventh Day’ actually took months to make..."</span></blockquote>
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It’s difficult to choose, but I would have to say ‘Two Men Contemplating the Moon’ is probably the image of his that affects me the most. Do you remember as a child, looking at the moon and standing still enough and for long enough to see it move? I recall it being quite a ‘magical’ moment, but it wasn’t until I was quite a bit older and understood the mechanics of the universe better, that the same exercise offered quite a profound, humbling experience. When I occasionally remember to pause and do this now, it still takes my breath away. To me, this is what the two men in this image are experiencing; a moment of realisation of the magnificence they are witnessing, as well as their relative insignificance to it.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">You've described the process of developing props as taking several weeks to complete and two days to set up and shoot; is there a particular reason you only produce a single image from each concept?</span></b><br />
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Some of the sets in ‘The Seventh Day’ actually took months to make, but the length of time it takes me to make them is beside the point. Even if an image took me years to construct, there would only be one resulting photograph. If I ever felt the need to take ten photographs of one set, that would be the time to move the set into a gallery and call it an installation. I think my images would significantly loose impact if I were to photograph several versions of one concept. Why water down a good idea? I have little interest in producing ‘large’ bodies of work in a commercial sense either, which I guess is sometimes an expectation of photographic artists. That’s not to say I won’t ever produce larger numbers of photographs, but just not without good reason.<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"I wouldn’t completely rule out doing installations in the future..."</span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What was the last revelation you've had in regard to your work?</span></b><br />
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I think I’m too close to my work at the moment to have any significant revelations… Maybe that is a small revelation in itself. If I were less involved in the ‘making’ process, perhaps I would create images that were stronger conceptually.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Aside from photography, what other arts do you practice and have you ever considered making any of your works into installations?</span></b><br />
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It’s a question I get asked a lot, but I just don’t think my current concepts work as installations. The context of these images is so important, not to mention the meticulous lighting, posing of subjects and the precise expression during that critical 1/60th of a second. A few years ago, a gentleman contacted me to enquire about purchasing ‘Woodland Scene’, but as I proceeded to give him print size information, he interrupted to explain that he wanted to purchase the ‘Woodland Scene’. Of course I had to explain the elements of the set and the moment was long gone, but to this day I am fascinated with this desire to possess what was represented in a physical sense. I wouldn’t completely rule out doing installations in the future, but I think it would involve something site specific and unlikely to be in a traditional gallery space.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Are you working or developing anything new at the moment?</span></b><br />
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I’m stepping outside the domestic realm for my new body of work, which I’ll begin working on later this year.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://www.siouxwire.com/2013/05/siouxwire-sensory-interviews.html">PICTAVIEW</a>: <i>Below are three images. Please comment on them in any way you see fit. You may comment on each individually or as a group and your reply may be anything from a description of what they mean to you to a fictional narrative or poem. There are no rules except that which you put down should in some way have been instigated by one or more of these images. It isn't a critique of the image but rather a free form reply/reaction.</i></span></b><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CPwK9Muo1mk/UZDqr0PL1RI/AAAAAAAAGUM/HsT67-4hwlA/s1600/IX_MagdalenaBors_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CPwK9Muo1mk/UZDqr0PL1RI/AAAAAAAAGUM/HsT67-4hwlA/s1600/IX_MagdalenaBors_7.jpg" height="131" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ashes, ashes, ashes, orange. I have an early childhood memory of being on a rural property with some older kids; we were playing with the smouldering remains of a large bonfire. There were no adults present, and although my memory of the circumstances surrounding the event are vague, I distinctly remember an exhilarating feeling of rebellion as we poked and prodded the dying fire, daring it to come to life again. I also vividly remember the cave-like little scene created by the glowing embers, and the hissing sounds as one of the older kids rolled an orange into the ‘cave’, followed by the incredible smell of slowly burning orange. Since then I’ve always associated ashes with oranges.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Thank you, Magdalena.</span></b><br />
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.magdalenabors.com/">Magdalena Bors</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/magdalenabors.artist">Magdalena Bors (Facebook)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.welovecolophon.com/uploaded/file-mag-2182_0.pdf">Magdalena Bors Interview (Blanket)</a><br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-30480169107969885822013-05-12T11:57:00.000+01:002013-05-13T19:16:40.680+01:00INTERVIEW: Reed Young<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QNB3H4WlMsU/UYlmLc8jdoI/AAAAAAAAGKs/kUhLnfzJarA/s1600/IX_ReidYoung_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QNB3H4WlMsU/UYlmLc8jdoI/AAAAAAAAGKs/kUhLnfzJarA/s1600/IX_ReidYoung_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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I discovered Reed Young's work through his series <i>Las Pajas and the Luck Haitians</i>. The series works extremely well as a series of portraits in their own right but as a documentary series along with the accompanying text, it is sublime. My personal favourite is Chi Chi (above). His works cover broad and eclectic subjects. You can see more of <i>Las Pajas and the Luck Haitians</i> and other series on <a href="http://reedyoung.com/">his site</a> and <a href="http://reedyoung.com/blog/">blog</a>.<br />
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After attending photography school in 2002, graduating from Brooks Institute in 2005, and a yearlong residency at <a href="http://www.fabrica.it/">FABRICA</a>, the Communication Research Center of Benetton Group in Treviso, Italy, Reed has done work for a variety of publications including <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/">National Geographic</a>, <a href="http://www.time.com/time/">TIME magazine</a>, and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">The Guardian</a>. His works span a wide range of subject matter, locales and working conditions. He is currently based in New York.<br />
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Mr. Young took his time out to answer my questions which you can read below.<br />
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First, here is Reed's statement on <i>Las Pajas and the Luck Haitians</i>...<br />
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"Lost in the vast sugarcane fields of the Dominican Republic, there are hundreds of small villages called Bateys. These underdeveloped towns were established in the beginning of the 20th Century to house migrant Haitian workers during the sugarcane season.<br />
The Bateys were intended to be seasonal towns. But in the last 40 years, the Dominican Republic has become a symbol of hope and prosperity for the Haitians. Because of this, more and more Haitians have discontinued going back to Haiti after the season and have started families in the Bateys.<br />
In theory, this sounds ideal. But the infrastructure for a permanent population remains unmet in the Bateys. The schools have little to no funding; there’s no running water or plumbing; and trash collection is obsolete. Another problem plaguing these small communities is the lack of legal documentation of citizenship. Without the basic rights as a citizen, most of these people are denied education and healthcare. This has created significant social status issues, which will only improve with the help of humanitarian organizations.<br />
At the time I took these pictures, my friend Rachel Gottesman lived in this small Batey called Las Pajas. Rachel invited me to stay with her for a few days, and it was an eye-opening, unbelievable experience. Even though the problems plaguing the Bateys are similar, each person had a unique story to tell.<br />
In the end, I was the biggest beneficiary of all. I was honored to learn about their lives. Despite having nothing but each other, they’re more content than most people I meet in the more developed world. I also discovered that money alone isn’t the solution to helping impoverished people. What they need more is education, healthcare and correct nutrition.<br />
I was struck by how these Haitian people view themselves as extraordinarily lucky compared with their families back home. Although the conditions of the Bateys are deplorable, they’re nothing compared to those that exist in Haiti where the current food crisis affects 60 percent of the country’s people.<br />
Who would think that people with no education, no access to healthcare and terrible sanitary conditions would consider themselves lucky? These are the lucky Haitians."</blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">In your series Las Pajas and the Lucky Haitians, you seem to have made a strong connection with your subjects. Would you outline how you approached this series and what you feel made it a unique experience from a photographic perspective?</span></b><br />
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Most of my personal work consists of a going to a place and finding complete strangers to help me tell a story. It's much more difficult without having a contact within the community. I was fortunate to have a close friend living in Las Pajas and this was a huge help in gaining immediate trust with my subjects. When I arrived I realized that the residents were far more impoverished than I could have imagined. Most of the stories I see from developing countries have a sad, empathetic approach. So I made an immediate decision to portray these people as the strong and proud people they are—and I think that's what makes this story unique.<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"...they did it with a grace and trust that I rarely get to see."</span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What would you say have been the biggest risks you've taken in your york both practically and artistically?</span></b><br />
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The most difficult and rewarding thing I've done in the last few years is consistently committing to personal projects. It's a huge challenge both financially and artistically. It's expensive and always difficult to find an original story that I'm passionate about. It's a big risk to travel to a place without knowing anyone, hoping to leave with a piece of people's lives that will create some kind of narrative. It's a risk that I'm becoming more and more comfortable with, but someday I may come back with nothing.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">How has your residency at <a href="http://www.fabrica.it/">FABRICA</a> influenced your work?</span></b><br />
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Fabrica was an incredible opportunity. It allowed me to take time to find my voice and learn from my mistakes. Benetton often takes a social interest approach, and it would be difficult to deny that this had an influence on the subject matter I pursue. Meeting other young artists from all over the world was also an invaluable takeaway.<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"...we're at a very interesting turning point in media."</span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Have any friendships developed between you and your subjects and are there any subjects who linger in your memory?</span></b><br />
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There are so many people who come to mind, but one family sticks out: A year ago right now I was in El Paso, Texas, doing a story about life in America's safest city, a town that shares a border with one of the world's most dangerous cities: Juarez, Mexico. It was there that I met the Delgado family. They invited us into their home and we spent 4 hours talking at their kitchen table. As breakfast turned to lunch, they told us everything about their lives. When speaking about the things that weren't exactly favorable, they did it with a grace and trust that I rarely get to see. We still had a week to go before leaving and often returned just to hang out and listen to their stories. We've spoken by phone five or six times over the last year. The El Paso story should be out in the next week or so.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Would you describe your typical/preferred kit and your favourite lens to work with and why?</span></b><br />
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I shoot a Canon 5D mark iii. When I was working at FABRICA my boss called me into his office and said that he had a gift for me. It was a cheap 50mm lens. He said that if I shot with anything other than the 50mm he'd fire me. So for the next year I only shot with that fixed 50mm lens. It taught me to move around to find the best vantage point instead of just zooming in and out. As far as photographic craft goes, this was one of the most important things I ever learned.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Which photographers of your generation have earned your respect/inspired you? And artists in other mediums? </span></b><br />
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I love the work of <a href="http://www.nadavkander.com/">Nadav Kander</a>, <a href="http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/">Edward Burtynsky</a>, <a href="http://alecsoth.com/photography/">Alec Soth</a>, <a href="http://www.egglestontrust.com/">William Eggleston</a>, <a href="http://www.davidzwirner.com/artists/philip-lorca-dicorcia/biography/">Philip Lorca Dicorcia</a> and <a href="http://stephenshore.net/">Stephen Shore</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"I've always been more interested in my subjects and their story..."</span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">How do you approach an assignment with a tight timeframe and big ambitions such as your recent shoot with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs? </span></b><br />
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I planned as much as I could beforehand, and then when the time came we had about half the amount of time we were expecting. But for anyone who's ever shot high profile people, half the expected amount of time is still better than usual.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WnCr4l-ODQ/UYlmMQr6MkI/AAAAAAAAGLE/sZbJQCHS_xM/s1600/IX_ReidYoung_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WnCr4l-ODQ/UYlmMQr6MkI/AAAAAAAAGLE/sZbJQCHS_xM/s1600/IX_ReidYoung_5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What are your goals as a professional and an artist? Are they the same? Why or why not? </span></b><br />
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I've always been more interested in my subjects and their story than the medium of photography. If I had another way to go about meeting these people and documenting their lives, while still making a living, I'd be happy to try it. I love journalism and think we're at a very interesting turning point in media. If things go the right way and quality content prevails, I'd love to begin working on more topical issues. I think we're living in a very exciting time and I hope that journalism takes the path that The New York Times did. It's the success of news outlets like the Huffington Post that really scares me.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Many thanks, Reed.</span></b><br />
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<b>Links:</b></div>
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<a href="http://reedyoung.com/">Reed Young</a></div>
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<a href="http://reedyoung.com/blog/">Reed Young (blog)</a></div>
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<i>Permission for usage of the images in this article kindly granted by Reed Young.</i><div class="blogger-post-footer"><P> </P>
From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-40141927843413839332013-05-11T23:38:00.002+01:002013-05-16T23:48:08.456+01:00SiouxWIRE Sensory Interviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the moment, interviews are everywhere which is fine for me because not all of them are terribly good. Still, with sites like Formspring about and questions being thrown to and fro, it does throw up some problems. As an example, there is Björk who I have been doggedly pursuing for an interview for many years and what does she do? She puts a Q&A on her site. It was bad enough that she's done dozens if not hundreds of interviews. It got me to start thinking about how I approach people who have been interviewed to death. Intelligent questions are fine but I thought there has to be a better way.</div>
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Then it hit me. Rather than ask questions, why not ask artists to react to images and sound? Let them share their reactions to sensory inputs that apply directly to their craft. It seems a pure way of going about an interview which has the potential to illicit more unpredictable responses and potentially something more illuminating and poetic. I've started this experiment with upcoming interviews some of which are a hybrid of the <i>standard</i> interview with some sensory questions and some entirely sensory in the form of <i>pictaviews</i> and <i>sonoviews</i>.</div>
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For those who are suffering "interview fatigue", this has been something of a boon and the response has been fantastic. For me, I'm very excited to see how this will develop. And I was hoping that it would to a certain extent save time in writing questionnaires but it doesn't. I still do my research into the respondent and finding the right imagery and sounds as well as getting the right permissions required for those falling outside of creative commons takes about the same amount of time (if not longer) as putting together a list of questions. In time, I'll have a better idea of what does and does not work and it should get easier.<br />
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My preferred interview method is in person or by phone as this enables me to enjoy a more <i>Cigarettes & Coffee</i> kind of atmosphere that's more relaxing for both parties and tends to produce the best results. That said, I think I will integrate sensory interview elements into these conversations as well though for the moment, it's strictly for postal and email interviews.<br />
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The big question is whether you, the reader, will find it interesting. Recently, you probably noticed that I no longer post images I find on SiouxWIRE as that works much better via Tumblr and Pinterest. In fact, there's an absolute tsunami of interesting stuff pouring out of every orifice of the internet. The whole idea around the revamp of this site is to differentiate it from those other sources and provide added value. To achieve this, I've upped my game as far the interviews go and this includes the sensory interview experiment Only time will tell how this pans out but as the interviews are published in the coming weeks, I would be interested to hear what you think about the new format.<br />
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Many thanks,<br />
Siouxfire<br />
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P.S. Your recent support is appreciated. I've also just set up an official Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Siouxwire">HERE</a> where a "like" is always welcome.<br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-31126135446830514692013-05-10T11:23:00.002+01:002013-05-16T23:36:44.281+01:00INTERVIEW: Kate MccGwire<div>
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There's something intriguing about <a href="http://www.katemccgwire.com/">Kate MccGwire</a>'s work that pulls you in and invites contemplation. Many feel like a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Luis_Borges">Borges</a> story given physical form yet they are open to broad interpretation perhaps due to their dual nature. At once, her pieces can be relaxing yet tense. The flow of a piece with beautiful curves also resembles a knot. Another fluid shape is beautiful yet restrained in some way. Yet another looks to be a creature yet there's only a hint of its form. They are static yet full of motion. Some of her works look like liquid in zero gravity, suspended and encased in a jar or cabinet and completely individual like an embodiment of the mortal coil in all its melancholy isolation.<br />
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Another outstanding quality to her work is its ability to engage a wide range of people across ages and cultures. The mystery is subtle but compelling and pulls the viewer into the curves and folds for further investigation but no one answer is to be found.<br />
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I contacted Kate MccGwire and we arranged a telephone interview. When I phoned, she had just come from the back of a mishap in the set up of a new installation where one of the cabinets cracked. Inwardly, I sighed thinking this would put her in a negative mood but I was soon proved wrong. We managed to cover a lot of ground during the interview and she was good natured and enthusiastic throughout. In fact, one of my regrets is that in text you are unable to hear the <i>smiles</i> that punctuated key points in the interview.<br />
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SXF: Is it fair to say you've had a symbiotic life with the river?</div>
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KM: Yes, absolutely.</div>
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SXF: How has it influenced your work? I think your father was a boat builder?</div>
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KM: Yes. I was born on a boat yard in Norfolk. He was sort of an accountant I suppose in London in the textile industry and he moved to Norfolk when he had me, the youngest of four children, to sort of change his lifestyle and embrace what he really wanted to do. He got a job with a boat company so we had a house within the boat yard and we grew up paddling and making things and being by the water the entire time. It was an absolutely idyllic childhood.</div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"They’re never very specific. I never really want it to look just like one thing."</span></blockquote>
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SXF: And your studio is actually on the water now?</div>
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KM: Yes. I got a 20 meter Dutch barge that’s 105 years old. I bought it in 2005 after I finished at the Royal College. I fitted it out and it has a beautiful studio which is about 8 meters long and 4 meters wide and has beautiful natural sunlight all day long. We’re on the south side of a strange little island with no road access on the Thames. So it’s quiet; really, really quiet. There’s no roads nearby and I’m only a half hour from London so I found a pretty perfect little slot really. There are various people on the island here that make things. It’s full of small units. The buildings are also wartime and rather decrepit so it’s one man bands really making light engineering work and joinery and there’s a prosthetic hand maker, boat builders... all sorts of weird things. So whatever you want or need; if I need a piece of steel welded, I can get that done. If I need to get a cabinet made, I can get that done here. So it’s a rather beautiful place really.</div>
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SXF: Sounds idyllic. What role would you say colour has in your works? Would you ever consider changing the natural colour of the feathers<br />
KM: No. Absolutely not. I’m celebrating the beauty of the natural thing that people overlook. You see a mallard duck on the river and it looks fairly innocuous and rather dull but when it flies you see this flash of blue and it has I think 6 speculum feathers, blue speculum feathers, but you only see them when they fly. So I’m bringing to the fore things I find miraculous in nature. Those feathers in particular if you turn them over there’s no colour on the opposite side but you turn it back and it’s absolutely iridescent and I don’t understand how that can happen. We couldn’t make it ourselves in such a thin material and in nature, it is there and it is miraculous. And I love the fact that you can get a mallard in the UK and you get a mallard in China and they’ll be almost identical.<br />
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SXF: Aside from colour, what other qualities do you recognise in the feathers you work with and how are they important?<br />
KM: Well, I think in engineering they are miraculous in the same way the colour is incredible, in that the bird can actually fly with something that is so lightweight, but so beautifully engineered that they can ruffle their feathers then preen them and reconnect the barbs that reattach each filament together.<br />
SXF: My son will do that picking up a feather brushing them one way then the other to make them like new.<br />
KM: Yes. I was taught actually by a taxidermist how to clean the feathers and you can pick up a pretty dire looking feather and clean it with a series of… sort of like a soapy water initially to get the dirt off it. Then it will look like a bedraggled rat and then you put it in a series of different sands It’s called chinchilla and it’s like a very, very fine sand and you agitate it in the sand and then flick the feather and eventually it all comes back to new. It probably takes five minutes to do each feather so for me it’s not a practical solution within large scale pieces.<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"...I’m bringing to the fore things I find miraculous in nature."</span></blockquote>
SXF: Sounds miraculous.<br />
KM: It is miraculous! Honestly, it will look like something you wouldn't even touch and then you can make it perfect again. I sometimes do that for white pigeon feathers because I haven’t got enough and I get delivered quite a few that are a little bit manky and I can clean them and make them perfect.<br />
SXF: They’re like little gems.<br />
KM: Yes.<br />
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SXF: Some of your works feel like creatures themselves or multiple entities in embrace; is this your intention or do you feel your works are more abstract? They feel like a Moebius strip, you look and think that has two sides but there's actually only one but at the same time that truth doesn't quite settle.<br />
KM: They’re never very specific. I never really want it to look just like one thing. It might resemble a snake or squirming creature but they’ll also resemble the human body and creases and crevices within the human body. I do a lot of life drawing and I’m looking at the armpit creases, the joints between the buttocks and knees. I’m referring to them but I’m trying to be ambiguous with them as well.<br />
SXF: Some of your work feels like a fusion between element and animal, water and bird. Do you feel there is an elemental quality to your work?<br />
KM: Yes, absolutely.<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"...now I tend to follow my intuition and I think that is paying off..."</span></blockquote>
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SXF: Is there an element of your work that you feel is missed or misinterpreted?<br />
KM: I think if it’s just described as being “snake like”, they’ve missed the point. When I say that I refer to the body a lot, I believe that you will look at the work and see reflected yourself slightly?<br />
SXF: There’s something recognisable.<br />
KM: That is disquieting because you’re seeing it in a very different way. Also, that the cabinets are so close to the work, to me that’s a sort of suffocation or an entrapment that also I find disquieting.<br />
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SXF: From your early work Brood which made use chicken wishbones, your works have had a double edge being both beautiful and yet tinged with a darker side though getting increasingly subtle; is this deliberate?<br />
KM: Yes. I mean certainly with the wishbones as I was collecting those 27,000 wishbones I needed, I was shocked when I found out the birds were hatched and dispatched in only 36 days. So you would think that a chicken might have a lifespan of 6 months or something but it’s just over a month. They were all extremely uniform. So the battery farm chickens are what I used for that and that feeds into the message of the work as well. At the same time I was collecting organic bones not really realising initially that they’d be much different but the organic bones are much stronger, they’re longer, they’re all different colours, they have different shapes and sizes whereas the battery farmed ones are stumpy and white and callowed.<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"I also like that you don’t have to know about art to be interested in the work I make."</span></blockquote>
SXF: Have there been any reactions to your work that surprised or delighted you or linger in your memory?<br />
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KM: I really like it when children have a look at it because they are completely devoid of any <i>coolness</i>. They don’t know anything about art or history or anything and so they have a completely visceral reaction to the work. You see them going round and round the cabinet thinking “I understand this piece but there’s no head, I don’t get it. What’s happening?” So that has been fantastic. I had a piece at Plymouth museum and I saw this group of kids and they just walked around and around the work. And they were looking at each other going “hang on a minute, this doesn’t make sense.” I like that. I also like that you don’t have to know about art to be interested in the work I make.<br />
SXF: Yes, I think that’s part of the brilliance of it; it’s very inclusive.<br />
KM: Yes. I was doing a residency in America and we had various visitors and at the end of the day I was absolutely shattered after having to describe and explain my work and present to people all day long. And then this guy arrived in my studio and I said, “Do you know what? I’m really, really tired. I’d like to know what <b>you </b>think.” He sat down and he was the most eloquent person I could have asked. He just brainstormed about what he saw in the work and it was just amazing. He saw in the work meanings and metaphors and relationships I had never thought about because he was so erudite. So that was incredible and we’ve been in correspondence ever since because he spoke so beautifully about it.<br />
SXF: That’s exciting that you instigated those ideas.<br />
KM: Yes. Yes.<br />
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SXF: What was the last important revelation you've had?<br />
KM: Well, I suppose… I’m thinking about scale. I’ve been getting bigger and bigger with the work. I don’t know.<br />
SXF: How would you describe the differences between your early work and your more recent creations?<br />
KM: I think I’m probably trusting in my instinct more and I would absolutely agonise about work in the past whereas now I tend to follow my intuition and I think that is paying off, that I have confidence in what I produce. The weird bit about it is that I don’t necessarily have a very fixed idea of what I’m going to make. I start carving and a form will appear and I’ll stand back at the end of it and think “Oh okay, that’s what it is.” But it’s almost like someone else is doing it. So I carve the element first and then I’ll spend maybe a month feathering a piece. And that’s a sort of meditative process because all the decision making has gone into the bit where I am carving cause I have to make a decision into how the feathers will lie and how the piece is carved; it’s all set then. Whereas the feathering is more dreamlike and I can think about other things and new works as I’m doing that element of it if that makes any sense?<br />
SXF: Yes. I’ve read before that you consider the next project while working on that stage.<br />
KM: Yes.<br />
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SXF: Do you think you would go back to using other materials, we touched on the bones earlier…<br />
KM: I would of course. I’m always looking to develop and I haven’t finished. People say, “Are you going to change from feathers?” And I say, “Yes, I will probably change from feathers eventually but I haven’t finished with what I want to say.”<br />
SXF: The forms have been changing recently, haven’t they?<br />
KM: Yes.<br />
SXF: Previously they were more fluid, like liquid floating in zero gravity but now your work has more points of friction.<br />
KM: Yes.<br />
SXF: How would you describe your relationship to your works.<br />
KM: Well, I have a real problem trying to deliver things. Though I make them and finish them in the studio I don’t like them going, parting from them. It doesn’t feel sad. It just feels like a loss. If I still have them I can still do things to them but if they’re gone, that’s it. So I do find it difficult but I’m having to, because there’s quite a lot of work that is out there now, I have to sort of switch off from that bit.<br />
SXF: Thank you so much for your time, Kate.<br />
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.katemccgwire.com/">Kate MccGwire</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/katemccgwire.artistpage">Kate MccGwire (Facebook)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.allvisualarts.org/">Kate MccGwire (All Visual Arts)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/kate_mccgwire.htm?section_name=shape_of_things2">Kate MccGwire (Saatchi)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/blog/review-of-kate-mccgwire-lure-london/">Kate MccGwire (Aesthetica)</a><br />
<a href="http://collections.madmuseum.org/code/emuseum.asp?emu_action=advsearch&rawsearch=exhibitionid/,/is/,/505/,/true/,/false&profile=exhibitions">Kate MccGwire (Museum of Art & Design NY)</a><br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-7756362994308475702013-05-09T17:54:00.000+01:002013-05-16T23:43:11.397+01:00INTERVIEW: Saddo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was quite excited when I discovered <a href="http://www.saddo.ro/">Saddo</a>'s work but I reigned in my enthusiasm until after I had learned more about his work (having been let down in the past) yet with every piece of work I found, the same confidence and momentum was there. Disconcerting, fun, and puzzling, his works feel light yet are profound, the colours bright but staid; they're coils of contradiction that unapologetically straddle genres. I love them and I'm more than a little perplexed how he hasn't received even more attention than he already has.<br />
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Obviously, I immediately got in touch with him and put a number of questions to him which he answered with confidence, candour and a refreshing lack of ego.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">You say in your bio that in your childhood, you "used to devour tones of horror and sci-fi movies and books". Which movies and books were most important to you?</span></b><br />
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Yeah, I used to read sci-fi books and watch sci-fi and horror movies indiscriminately, anything I could get my hands on. I started with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Verne">Jules Verne</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.G.Wells">H.G.Wells</a>, and then got into classic sci-fi like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimov">Asimov</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolkien">Tolkien</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Herbert">Frank Herbert</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick">Philip K. Dick</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke">Arthur C. Clarke</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Zelazny">Roger Zelazny</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Silverberg">Robert Silverberg</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Benford">Gregory Benford</a>, stuff like that, any kind of sci-fi or fantasy, from adventure/action stuff, to space-opera, cyberpunk, and more conceptual stuff. One of the first books that opened my appetite for sci-fi was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel)">Dune</a>, it was a present from my aunt. And then The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series">Foundation</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_A_Space_Odyssey">2001 A Space Odyssey</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timescape">Timescape</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender%27s_Game">Ender's Game</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmer_Eldritch">Palmer Eldritch</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Rings">Lord of the Rings</a>, lots and lots of others.<br />
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And about movies, the same, I used to rent tapes of any sci-fi or horror movies from the '80s and '90s, from the first horror movies I watched when I was a kid were <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Evil_Dead">Evil Dead</a>, and an obscure movie I've never heard about since, called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xtro">Xtro</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"...it was super fun, fresh, we hung out together a lot, we worked together, and street art became the glue that brought us and kept us together."</span></div>
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I was a huge <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars">Star Wars</a> fan, I saw the movies dozens of times, I used to draw the characters, the spaceships, everything. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_(film)">Alien</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predator_(film)">Predator</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_(film)">Terminator</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_Encounters_of_The_Third_Kind">Close Encounters of The Third Kind</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial">E.T.</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Gordon_(film)">Flash Gordon</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th_(1980_film)">Friday the 13th</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters">Ghostbusters</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightmare_on_Elm_Street">Nightmare on Elm Street</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner">Blade Runner</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(1982_film)">The Thing</a>, and many many other classic, plus obscure cheesy cheap 80s-90s horrors with monsters and zombies - I was devouring all of them.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oLbPX0TZLDU/UYuk14hnHjI/AAAAAAAAGOc/aUkKIUlelZE/s1600/IX_Saddo_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oLbPX0TZLDU/UYuk14hnHjI/AAAAAAAAGOc/aUkKIUlelZE/s1600/IX_Saddo_3.jpg" /></a><br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What did you learn from "street art" and why did you set up The Playground in Romania?</span></b><br />
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Street-art was something completely new and fresh for me, especially cause I "discovered" it in a time of my life, when I was a fresh graduate from the University of Art, and I found myself stuck, in a huge creative block and identity crisis which lasted for almost two years. And street-art slowly made me trust myself again, be able to get out there and express myself more free, without the constraints and pressure of academic life and high-brow art. And it made me realize, or remember that art should be fun. It was like when I was a sci-fi and horror kid getting enthusiastic about creature designs, details on spaceships, stuff like that. It was fun. But at the same time it also brought responsibility, cause suddenly street-art got into the attention of galleries, agencies, brands, etc. and this made me want to get better and better, and I got to work with many brands, participate in many group exhibitions all over the world, and basically to be able to do what I love, and live off it.<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">"Sometimes I really enjoy putting thought and research into a piece, and sometimes I just let it happen."</span></div>
</blockquote>
One of the great things about street art is the sense of community, and the possibility to meet other artists whose works you love and appreciate, and even paint with them.<br />
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At the time when I was living in Cluj ( the city I studied in), there really wasn't too much street-art going on there, Bucharest, the capital of Romania was much more active and energetic. So me and a friend of mine started doing stuff, at first small stickers and then we got to bigger paste-ups, we found three other kids who were doing this and we formed a group, and it was super fun, fresh, we hung out together a lot, we worked together, and street art became the glue that brought us and kept us together.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HFnxn5fjfbE/UYvA6_4hsaI/AAAAAAAAGPM/LqApdKWfYuw/s1600/IX_Saddo_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HFnxn5fjfbE/UYvA6_4hsaI/AAAAAAAAGPM/LqApdKWfYuw/s1600/IX_Saddo_2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Would you choose one of your works and go through how it developed and what it means to you?</span></b><br />
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I usually have two different kind of approaches, depending on my mood. Sometimes I really enjoy putting thought and research into a piece, and sometimes I just let it happen.<br />
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For example the "Huginn and Muninn" piece - part of "The Garden of Good and Evil" series of shows I'll have this year, together with my girlfriend <a href="http://www.aitch.ro/">Aitch</a> - is part of a series which explores the presence of animals in different myths and legends, this one based on<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huginn_and_Muninn"> characters and deities in Norse mythology</a>.<br />
<br />
Before starting working on the piece I did a bit of research on the meanings and symbolism of different animals in myths and legends, and then I read some stuff about Norse mythology, Odin, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huginn_and_Muninn">Huginn and Muninn</a>, shamanic rituals, etc. And then I started sketching out the composition, the characters, and started painting on the actual canvas. The process itself is pretty straight and planned out, and it doesn't contain too many surprises.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IL-cuHs8NXE/UYuk2N-VYpI/AAAAAAAAGOg/SEbHi9p5J2s/s1600/IX_Saddo_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IL-cuHs8NXE/UYuk2N-VYpI/AAAAAAAAGOg/SEbHi9p5J2s/s1600/IX_Saddo_4.jpg" /></a></div>
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And there's the second category which is a bit more fun to work on, cause it's more free, I don't have a very clear idea of how the piece would look, or what the meaning behind it would be. Take for example one my "Charmer" pieces - I started by putting some basic colors on a piece of wood, and then working those colors, make them more vibrant, adding textures, layers, abstract shapes, and then covering them again with more watery colors. Usually after I'm pleased with how the background looks, I just stare at it for a while, maybe start working on some new similar background for future pieces, to keep myself in that mood, and when I have two or three finished backgrounds I'm thinking about characters, shapes, postures, I look at a lot of bird images, and when I find something inspiring or think of some basic idea, I start sketching and then painting the character. And usually this kind of piece is much more free, I don't need to have everything planned out, the character can change while I work, different surprising details can pop up. And my favorite part is the final touches, when the character and everything is almost done, I add small fun, details, for example in this piece the cartoon hands of the character bring a fresh, fun feeling, or the dots eaten by the snake, making it look like a Pacman.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3FFbdOzobQE/UYvBPN2varI/AAAAAAAAGPU/R6VKqvT89IE/s1600/IX_Saddo_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3FFbdOzobQE/UYvBPN2varI/AAAAAAAAGPU/R6VKqvT89IE/s1600/IX_Saddo_1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Which artists have been important to you in recent years and why?</span></b><br />
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Wow, there are lots, I mean I listen to lots of different music genres from classical to hip-hop, watch so many movies, follow the work of lots of artists and illustrators, I really couldn't say which one has been most important. A constant influence in my life and art is my girlfriend <a href="http://www.aitch.ro/">Aitch</a>. I also love and am influenced by the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieronymus_Bosch">Bosch</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walton_ford">Walton Ford</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Botero">Botero</a>, and also young lowbrow artists and illustrators. I'm also super influenced by Renaissance portraits, Vanitas paintings, old illustrations of plants and animals, the prints of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Haeckel">Ernst Haeckel</a>, oriental patterns, cartoons, stuff like this.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zi22Qdq19Xc/UYuk2s4-pyI/AAAAAAAAGOk/6o-EaJbVVJc/s1600/IX_Saddo_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zi22Qdq19Xc/UYuk2s4-pyI/AAAAAAAAGOk/6o-EaJbVVJc/s1600/IX_Saddo_5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What are you working on at the moment?</span></b><br />
<br />
Right now I'm working on a small illustration on paper, part of a series of new pieces for the "Garden of Good and Evil" shows <a href="http://www.aitch.ro/">Aitch</a> and I will have next month at <a href="http://www.lapetitemortgallery.com/">"La Petite Mort"</a> gallery in Ottawa, and "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Parentheses-Gallery-Art-Projects/201132469970306">Parantheses</a>" gallery in Halifax. We'll be there for the openings and we'll paint some murals with our friend Other.<br />
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Also, all the pieces we're working on now, will be printed in limited editions for a show at Atelier Olschinsky in Vienna, in September.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DZZ9OaOFNmY/UYvBjuDFfwI/AAAAAAAAGPc/w_8uVpyVk9M/s1600/IX_Saddo_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DZZ9OaOFNmY/UYvBjuDFfwI/AAAAAAAAGPc/w_8uVpyVk9M/s1600/IX_Saddo_6.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.saddo.ro/">Saddo</a><br />
<a href="http://www.behance.net/Saddo">Saddo (Behance)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/saddo/">Saddo (Flickr)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.aitch.ro/">Aitch</a><br />
<a href="http://www.lapetitemortgallery.com/">La Petite Mort Gallery</a><br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-27781730886714438302013-05-07T23:49:00.001+01:002013-05-09T08:58:16.472+01:00Ray Harryhausen has passed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UrYDR95v9y4/UYmAkU5TBOI/AAAAAAAAGMo/fkxChRevfio/s1600/IX_Harryhausen_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UrYDR95v9y4/UYmAkU5TBOI/AAAAAAAAGMo/fkxChRevfio/s1600/IX_Harryhausen_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.rayharryhausen.com/index.php">Ray Harryhausen</a> was an inventor, a puppeteer, an actor, an animator, a sculptor, an engineer, a choreographer and a magician. When I was young, I loved his Technicolor films with a palette that seemed to leap from the screen but the real magic was how Harryhausen made his creations pop as much as the colours through their designs and movement. They were at once realistic while simultaneously being otherworldly; kind of an impressionistic interpretation of movement that fired my imagination and to this day makes much of the CG animation we know today feel flat and empty. Of all the things Harryhausen was, he was an artist of the highest order.<br />
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/may/07/ray-harryhausen-dies">Ray Harryhausen Obituary (Guardian)</a><br />
<a href="http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/05/07/jj-abrams-damon-lindelof-guillermo-del-toro-ray-harryhausen/#more-105228">Reactions to Ray Harryhausen's passing (EW)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/visual-effects-pioneer-ray-harryhausen-518636">Ray Harryhausen Obituary (Hollywood Reporter)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22441567">Ray Harryhausen Obituary (BBC)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rayharryhausen.com/index.php">Ray Harryhausen (Official Site)</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Harryhausen">Ray Harryhausen (Wiki)</a><br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-57392881950009727612013-05-07T22:59:00.000+01:002013-05-08T00:05:51.890+01:00Varya Kolesnikova's BABAY Illustrations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T6teNCrhoM0/UYLH37oSUUI/AAAAAAAAGHA/oG6LkmmvDzs/s1600/IX_Babay_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T6teNCrhoM0/UYLH37oSUUI/AAAAAAAAGHA/oG6LkmmvDzs/s1600/IX_Babay_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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As a parent, I recall the joy of seeking out the unusual and beautiful when shopping around for picture books for my son. Sadly, that time is passed but recently, I discovered Russian illustrator <a href="http://www.behance.net/paskamarja">Varya Kolesnikova</a>'s work on Anna Glyanchenko's <i>Babay</i> and love the tone, abstraction and palette. Between Varya, me and Google translate, we managed to muster up the following introduction to Varya and <i>Babay</i>.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My name is Varya Kolesnikova. I live and work in St. Petersburg. As a child, I wanted to be a writer, then a policeman, then a veterinarian and cynologist, and a writer again. But it happened that I graduated from the philological faculty and became an illustrator.<br />
I love to illustrate children's books. I love to create worlds in pictures in which you can immerse in like in a warm bath with almond foam so you can forget about reality. <i>Babay</i>, written by Anna Glyanchenko, is living in just such a world. This is a story about the friendship between a boy and a ... fur. It tells how the imagined becomes real, warm, soft and alive. It is not just an old tattered fur that falls out from the closet but big and kind Babay who quietly comes to tea."</blockquote>
Also note that it's worth having a look at her fantastic illustrations for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling">Rudyard Kipling</a>'s <i><a href="http://www.behance.net/gallery/Rikki-Tikki-Tavi/6941329">Rikki Tikki Tavi</a></i> as well as her <a href="http://www.behance.net/paskamarja">other work</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nq4IPsm9c2Y/UYLH4jlHl-I/AAAAAAAAGHQ/EfWLrLCTxG0/s1600/IX_Babay_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nq4IPsm9c2Y/UYLH4jlHl-I/AAAAAAAAGHQ/EfWLrLCTxG0/s1600/IX_Babay_3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IK_-j3u0sPE/UYLH4_PJEPI/AAAAAAAAGHU/xlGK1cPlIok/s1600/IX_Babay_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IK_-j3u0sPE/UYLH4_PJEPI/AAAAAAAAGHU/xlGK1cPlIok/s1600/IX_Babay_4.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.behance.net/paskamarja">Varya Kolesnikova (Behance)</a><br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-52400378974633326452013-05-06T10:43:00.000+01:002013-05-07T09:43:10.948+01:001920s Era "Goblin" Stereoscopic Images<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EwuRmupl5ZQ/UYd3Xe6BFLI/AAAAAAAAGJk/G_F65ITPaCQ/s1600/IX_Boogieman_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EwuRmupl5ZQ/UYd3Xe6BFLI/AAAAAAAAGJk/G_F65ITPaCQ/s1600/IX_Boogieman_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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I have a couple antique stereoscopes but I don't have anything nearly as brilliant or unique as this set of slides entitled "The Goblins will get you if you don't watch out". Ah, early 20th century parenting. I also don't have the means with which to afford this set which recently appeared on eBay via <a href="http://myworld.ebay.com/pkgeneralstore?_trksid=p2047675.l2559">PK General Store</a>.<br />
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With modern eyes, a number of the goblins seem pretty whimsical, practically gormless but the one featured in the image above is pretty sinister with its empty eye sockets and Donnie Darko-like ears. I've always had a deep interest in the era and these are a revelation.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BZBy0-6TbrM/UYd3YrXdtKI/AAAAAAAAGJw/wUY6ryMKSBM/s1600/IX_Boogieman_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BZBy0-6TbrM/UYd3YrXdtKI/AAAAAAAAGJw/wUY6ryMKSBM/s1600/IX_Boogieman_5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YK5wqiatj6k/UYd3Y0Z0e1I/AAAAAAAAGKE/535SmTgqWrE/s1600/IX_Boogieman_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YK5wqiatj6k/UYd3Y0Z0e1I/AAAAAAAAGKE/535SmTgqWrE/s1600/IX_Boogieman_6.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://myworld.ebay.com/pkgeneralstore?_trksid=p2047675.l2559">PK General Store (eBay)</a> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">- SOURCE</span><br />
<a href="http://thehystericalsociety.tumblr.com/">The Hysterical Society (Tumblr)</a> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">- SOURCE</span><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereoscopy">Stereoscopy (Wiki)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.collectorsweekly.com/photographs/stereoviews">Stereoscopes (Collector's Weekly)</a><br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-71071636831091002442013-05-05T07:54:00.000+01:002013-05-05T08:23:23.606+01:00Paul Murphy's SENTINELS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Something to contemplate for Sunday. <a href="http://www.paulmurphy.com/">Paul Murphy</a> has been kind enough to grant permission to post these images from his series <i>Sentinels</i>.<br />
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.paulmurphy.com/">Paul Murphy</a><br />
<a href="http://www.behance.net/paulmurphy">Paul Murphy (Behance)</a><br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-31909660262234480032013-05-04T21:41:00.000+01:002013-05-13T19:16:12.176+01:00INTERVIEW: Kelly Louise Judd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Full of allegory and whimsy and spiced with a touch of subtle menace, <a href="http://kellylouisejudd.com/">Kelly Louise Judd</a>'s illustrations seem reminiscent of Edwardian Era imagery from Central and Eastern Europe as well as pre-industrial wildlife documentation. Combining natural and fairytale elements, her creations are at once familiar yet mysterious. Adding to the natural element, her illustrations feel as if they've been crafted from wood and the colour palette is earthy and subdued.<br />
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<a href="http://kellylouisejudd.com/">Kelly Louise Judd</a> recieved a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2002. She continues to live in Kansas City where she spends her time painting, illustrating, gardening, and playing the harp. She is deeply inspired by folklore, ghost stories, psychology, Victorian literature and art, Northern Renaissance art, and flora and fauna.<br />
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Very graciously, Kelly has agreed to answer a few questions and correct me on some of my misconceptions and provide some insight to her work. All images provided with the kind consent of Kelly Louise Judd.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">How important would you say narrative and allegory are in your works?</span></b><br />
It is very important to me. I feel most drawn to art that tells a story and holds symbolism. I’m interested in the underlying stories of life. The house may be quiet and the outside might feel still, but at the same time the house is full of ghosts, and just outside the window a hummingbird’s wings are flapping 50 times per second. Nothing is as calm as its surface, and this is often a starting point for me.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Would you pick one of your works and explain the process that went into its creation and the influences that went into it?</span></b><br />
The Peacock and the Crane was inspired by the Aesop’s Fable of the same name. I’d been doing some other works that involved peacocks and cranes separately, so I felt like it was time to do a piece focused on the two together. I wanted them to be together in the painting, but also wanted it to feel as though they were going about in two different worlds. So, the peacock walks on roses, while the crane walks lower on a peacock tail rug.<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">From the name "Swanbones" to their appearance across a number of your works, birds play a significant role. What do birds signify to you and how would you say you make use of them in your work?</span></b><br />
In my work I tend to think of birds as fragile messengers. They might have a warning to deliver or something that needs to be taken away when they leave.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What artists would you say you admire the most and have had the greatest influence on you and why?</span></b><br />
I’ve spent a lot of time looking at the work of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painters. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder">Pieter Bruegel the Elder</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieronymus_Bosch">Hieronymus Bosch</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_van_der_Goes">Hugo Van Der Goes</a> are a few of my favorites. I think they have most influenced me in the way I think about symbolism and also in my color palette.<br />
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I’ve also been very inspired by the Golden age of Illustration. I love the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Dulac">Edmund Dulac</a>, <a href="http://rackham.artpassions.net/">Arthur Rackham</a>, <a href="http://artofnarrative.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/helen-stratton-lily-of-life-1913.html">Helen Stratton</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Crane">Walter Crane</a>, among so many others.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Which books, films or other media do you enjoy and inspire you?</span></b><br />
I read a lot of Victorian literature, which always tends to bleed into my work. I like to read folk tales from all over the world. I’m also inspired by authors like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannery_O'Connor">Flannery O’Connor</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carson_McCullers">Carson McCullers</a>.<br />
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Sometimes while I’m working I’ll put on a documentary. The topics of these can be about anything from historical gardening to leprosy.<br />
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://kellylouisejudd.com/">Kelly Louise Judd</a><br />
<a href="http://swanbones.etsy.com/">Kelly Louise Judd (Etsy)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Art-of-Kelly-Louise-Judd/123614404348355">Kelly Louise Judd (Facebook)</a><br />
<a href="http://artoutthere.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/kelly-louise-judd.html">Kelly Louise Judd (Art Out There)</a><br />
<a href="http://beautifuldecay.com/2012/02/13/kelly-louise-judd/">Kelly Louise Judd (Beautiful Decay)</a><br />
<a href="http://eclectix.com/blog/2013/03/06/kelly-louise-judd/">The Mythic Art of Kelly Louise Judd (eclectix)</a><br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-12193172396757763542013-05-03T07:34:00.000+01:002013-05-13T19:18:34.119+01:00INTERVIEW Guy Laramée<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Seeing <a href="http://www.guylaramee.com/">Guy Laramée</a>'s works, I was at once charmed by them and looking more closely, they bear the weight of further examination. I come from a point of ignorance in terms of this kind of work and it is through this lens that I hope I'll be able to encourage others to join me in my explorations. Mr. Laramée very kindly took time to answer a few of my humble questions and gave kind permission to use the imagery accompanying this post.<br />
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This is his artist statement:<br />
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The erosion of cultures – and of “culture” as a whole - is the theme that runs through the last 25 years of my artistic practice. Cultures emerge, become obsolete, and are replaced by new ones. With the vanishing of cultures, some people are displaced and destroyed. We are currently told that the paper book is bound to die. The library, as a place, is finished. One might ask so what? Do we really believe that “new technologies” will change anything concerning our existential dilemma, our human condition? And even if we could change the content of all the books on earth, would this change anything in relation to the domination of analytical knowledge over intuitive knowledge? What is it in ourselves that insists on grabbing, on casting the flow of experience into concepts?<br />
When I was younger, I was very upset with the ideologies of progress. I wanted to destroy them by showing that we are still primitives. I had the profound intuition that as a species, we had not evolved that much. Now I see that our belief in progress stems from our fascination with the content of consciousness. Despite appearances, our current obsession for changing the forms in which we access culture is but a manifestation of this fascination.<br />
My work, in 3D as well as in painting, originates from the very idea that ultimate knowledge could very well be an erosion instead of an accumulation. The title of one of my pieces is “ All Ideas Look Alike”. Contemporary art seems to have forgotten that there is an exterior to the intellect. I want to examine thinking, not only “what” we think, but “that” we think.<br />
So I carve landscapes out of books and I paint romantic landscapes. Mountains of disused knowledge return to what they really are: mountains. They erode a bit more and they become hills. Then they flatten and become fields where apparently nothing is happening. Piles of obsolete encyclopedias return to that which does not need to say anything, that which simply IS. Fogs and clouds erase everything we know, everything we think we are.<br />
After 30 years of practice, the only thing I still wish my art to do is this: to project us into this thick “cloud of unknowing.”</blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #e69138;">I wonder when looking at your work if you are either reverting your materials(books) into their previous state or simply altering them into something unexpected? Is your intention to revert the materials or push them toward something new?</span></b><br />
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That may sound presumptuous but I really feel I’m not doing anything. I’m rather done by a process that I really do not understand. Therefore, “intentions” get into the work through doors that are mostly unexpected and suddenly I notice that a given “idea”, “image” of feeling has been lingering for too long and that thus it is calling for attention.<br />
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“Newness” is part of the process, in the sense that there is always a freshness that accompanies the birth of pieces – well… the good pieces, because for the bad pieces, it is rather a feeling of staleness, but the bad pieces have to be done anyway…<br />
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This may sound like I don’t want to answer your question, but it is only that I think we really have – as a culture – to get out of the “maker” paradigm, something that might have been useful in the first days of the industrial era – seeing the poet as a worker – but we also have to remind ourselves that humans have always felt that inspiration came from somewhere else.<br />
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And really, I don’t feel I’m working with books. I’m working with feelings (not emotions, they are different to me). I’m glad that this limitation, this limit – books – can provide a channel for inspiration (one thing less to think about…) but it could be anything, really. I feel I’ve worked the same Romantic stuff with installations and painting.<br />
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But again, “The Mona Lisa is not a turnip” as Gerhard Richter said. I am pretty much aware of the metaphor – mountains of knowledge return to what they are : mountains – and also well aware that my gesture is a denial of content. But when I enter into a book with the chainsaw, all this is forgotten. I contemplate the birth of a mountain and like always in contemplation, I lose myself in the process. What a relief !<br />
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<b><span style="color: #e69138;">I find your work reminiscent of Haruki Murakami or Kafka in their transformative nature. What artists feed your imagination if not inspire?</span></b><br />
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Maybe Kafka but I would rather say Borges. Both authors share the same connection to the Fantastic, but Borges is more down to earth. More credible in a sense.<br />
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Generally speaking it is painting that inspires me. 19th century landscape painting more than anything. And very old Chinese and Japanese paintings too. It is the contemporary painter Gerhard Richter that made all this legitimate. We are not cut from the past, the past is in us.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #e69138;">You've previously described the euphoria you've felt when finding a beautiful book. To you, what makes a beautiful book and why are these attributes important to you?</span></b><br />
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I wish I could give you the recipe of beauty. I wish I could have it myself, then I would be rich…! Because really, life, beauty, oneness, all these are synonymous, aren’t they?<br />
Some much have been written of the theories of harmony, what makes something harmonious. But really it is the mystery of it that makes it so appealing.<br />
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I currently prefer old books because they transpire dedication, care, etc. In the past, people made books as something which would last. The same with furniture. The spirit of someone who does something that should last long is not the same.<br />
Today it is all rat race, carelessness, except for a couple of craftsmen who still understand what they get from work well done : calm, absorption, increased attention, vigilance, etc. All attributes that are not so far from spiritual practice after all…<br />
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<b><span style="color: #e69138;">One of my favourite works of yours is Tectonic which has a path or path-like thread winding its way through the landscape. For me, it pulled me right in and there I was on the path. What techniques do you use to draw the viewer into your works?</span></b><br />
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What techniques do you use to fall in love? There are no techniques for anything.<br />
Contemplation is the thing. If the artist really entered into contemplation, than there are good chances that the viewer will too. As I see it, contemplation is not even a “state” that you “reach”. It is the original soup in which we all soak. Going back to our contemplative nature – and it is really that ; a coming back to what we are – brings happiness. That’s all.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #e69138;">Would you describe a turning point or moment of revelation in your art and explain its significance and impact on your work?</span></b><br />
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There is turning point everyday Sir ! Otherwise there would be no art. It would be sheer reproduction. Everyday I feel I was mistaken and blind. Everyday I resent my mistakes and whish I should not fall in traps again. The trap of intellection for example. God, the amount of time I spent in this hell…! Thinking that I could make art with ideas, with my training in anthropology, etc. Gibberish.<br />
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“Happiness is when the “I” is not”, someone said. I just realized that this is really what I want : to disappear behind the work. Kabir said “ :If you were to free me, free me from myself”.<br />
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.guylaramee.com/">Guy Laramée</a><br />
<a href="http://www.pertweeandersongold.com/artists/35-Guy-Laramee/biography/">Guy Laramée (Pertwee, Anderson & Gold)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jhbgallery.com/">Guy Laramée (Jayne H Baum)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.coolhunting.com/culture/guy-laramee.php">Guy Laramée (Cool Hunting)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.fosterwhite.com/dynamic/artist.asp?ArtistID=92838">Guy Laramée (Foster White Gallery)</a><br />
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-79109083046966356932013-05-02T07:01:00.000+01:002013-05-02T07:01:00.275+01:00Peter Zumthor & Louise Bourgeois’s STEILNESET MEMORIAL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h2eQLT_D9LE/UX--Msu8HtI/AAAAAAAAGDE/-1nN2JyqtZI/s1600/IX_Steilneset_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h2eQLT_D9LE/UX--Msu8HtI/AAAAAAAAGDE/-1nN2JyqtZI/s1600/IX_Steilneset_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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I enjoy that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zumthor">Peter Zumthor</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Bourgeois">Louise Bourgeois</a>' monument to victims of the witch hunts in what is Steilneset in modern Norway. Particularly in its bleached winter form, it is a reminder that even the most desolate and seemingly empty places can hold powerful memories. At the end of this post, click "read more" to read <a href="http://www.livhelenewillumsen.no/">Liv Helene Willumsen</a>'s <i>The Witchcraft Trials in Finnmark, Northern Norway – A Survey</i>.<br />
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Also, I should mention the efforts and support of those at <a href="http://www.nasjonaleturistveger.no/en">National Tourist Routes in Norway</a> who kindly provided the imagery for this post as well as the background information featured below.<br />
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"At the end of the 16th century, witch-hunts started to spread through large parts of Europe. More people were convicted of sorcery and burned at the stake in Vardø than anywhere else in Norway. From 1600 to 1692, a total of 135 people were accused of sorcery in Finnmark. 91 of these were convicted and executed."</blockquote>
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"The history is communicated through excerpts from historical sources as well as art and architecture in an international format, realized in a unique collaboration between the artist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Bourgeois">Louise Bourgeois</a> and the architect <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zumthor">Peter Zumthor</a>. Bourgeois’ contribution comprises a chair with five gas flames reflected in seven encircling oval mirrors. The artwork is located in a separate glass and steel building designed by the architect Peter Zumthor. His contribution also comprises a 125 metre long building with an illuminated window for each of the victims who were executed in Finnmark. The memorial is located in the vicinity of the assumed execution site.<br />Through her studies of the old court records, the historian <a href="http://www.livhelenewillumsen.no/">Liv Helene Willumsen</a> has elucidated the fate of the 91 persons who were convicted and executed, their stories being retold on individual memorial plaques with the names of the victims."</blockquote>
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"The texts for the exhibition in the memorial hall at Steilneset are written by Liv Helene Willumsen (b. 1948) on the basis of court records from the 17th century. Willumsen is Assistant Professor of History at the Department of History and Religious Studies, University of Tromsø.<br />Willumsen is the country’s foremost expert on the Finnmark witchcraft trials, having studied these for several decades and with a PhD degree in the subject. Willumsen has published several books on the Finnmark witchcraft trials, the most recent being a major treatise in Norwegian and English, containing the original sources of the trials."</blockquote>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Bourgeois">Louise Bourgeois</a> (1911 – 2010)</blockquote>
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"Louise Bourgeois is considered to be one of the most influential artists of the contemporary era. She was born in Paris, but did not have her real international breakthrough until she was 70 years old. In 1938 she moved to New York, where she lived and worked until her death. Bourgeois’ projects have strong symbolic connotations. Her youth, which was marred by conflicts and gender complications, the struggle she faced as a woman in an art world dominated by men and the experience of motherhood constitute the thematic backdrop of her work.</blockquote>
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Bourgeois’ creations are mostly sculptural and range from the abstract to the figurative, executed in various materials such as glass, metal and textiles. She is also well known for her intimate drawings, which are often combined with text fragments. In recent years, the art of Louise Bourgeois has been shown on major retrospective exhibitions in London, Paris, New York and Los Angeles. The project in Vardø became the final major installation that Louise Bourgeois created."</blockquote>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zumthor">Peter Zumthor</a> (b. 1943)</blockquote>
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"As the son of a cabinetmaker in Basel, Peter Zumthor from an early age learned to give shape to materials. In the sixties he studied at the Pratt Institute in New York and soon became involved in restoration of historic buildings. His constructions, in which he explores the structure and sensory qualities of rooms and materials, have brought him wide international acclaim. He lives and works in Haldenstein, Switzerland.</blockquote>
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Zumthor’s approach tends to be minimalist, and his works emanate an exquisite, poetic sensuality in their choice of materials, surfaces and spaces. His work has been relatively little documented; his approach is that architecture should mainly be experienced in direct encounters.</blockquote>
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In 2009 Zumthor received the Pritzker Architecture Prize, which is the most prestigious award an architect can earn. Zumthor is also commissioned by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to develop Almannajuvet gorge near Sauda in Ryfylke to a unique attraction in the framework of the National Tourist Routes."</blockquote>
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zumthor">Peter Zumthor</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Bourgeois">Louise Bourgeois</a><br />
<a href="http://www.livhelenewillumsen.no/">Liv Helene Willumsen</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nasjonaleturistveger.no/en">National Tourist Routes in Norway</a><br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2013/feb/05/peter-zumthor-riba-gold-medal">Peter Zumthor wins RIBA (Guardian)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/bourgeois">Louise Bourgeois (Guardian)</a><br />
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Read <a href="http://www.livhelenewillumsen.no/">Liv Helene Willumsen</a>'s paper "The Witchcraft Trials in Finnmark, Northern Norway – A Survey" below.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
The Witchcraft Trials in Finnmark, Northern Norway – A Survey</h2>
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Liv Helene Willumsen</span></h3>
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The witchcraft trials in Finnmark, the northernmost district of Norway, took place towards the end of a period that saw persecution of witches all over Europe. The witch-hunt in Finnmark was an offshoot of the European witchcraft trials, taking place ca 1450–1750, with the seventeenth century as the peak period. Accusations of witchcraft were treated before the courts, as criminal cases. During the European witchcraft persecution, around 100.000 persons were accused of practising witchcraft. Out of these, 40.000–50.000 persons were executed, most of them sentenced to death in fire at the stake. The most intense witchcraft trials took place in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Scotland and East Finnmark. In Norway as a whole around 750–800 persons were accused of practising witchcraft, whereof about 300 persons were executed. Norwegian courts started to pass death sentences in witchcraft trials in the late sixteenth century, and the persecution lasted till the eighteenth century. </div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Finnmark witchcraft trials took place during the period 1600–1692. In the course of these trials 135 persons were accused of practising witchcraft, 91 of which were executed. This means that two-thirds of those who were accused of witchcraft in Finnmark, received death sentences. The main part of the death sentences were passed in Vardø in East Finnmark, and the executions most likely took place at Steilneset, the place of execution in Vardø. The rate of death sentences resembles that in parts of Europe where witches were persecuted particularly rigorously. When we assess the extent of the persecution in Finnmark, we also have to take into account the size of the population. In the seventeenth century, the population of Finnmark was around 3000, which was 0.8% of the total population of Norway. Nevertheless, 16% of all Norwegian witchcraft trials took place in Finnmark, and around one-third of all death sentences in Norwegian witchcraft trials were passed here. These figures indicate heavy persecution in the district of Finnmark. In addition to sentences of execution, persons accused of witchcraft were outlawed, submitted to public whipping or fined.</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What we know about the witchcraft trials in Finnmark some 400 years ago, mainly derives from court records of trials heard in local courts. The court records were entered into protocols which are now stored in the Regional State Archives of Tromsø, Norway. The court records tell us what happened to a person from the moment he or she was brought before the court until sentence was passed. The sources we have from the witchcraft trials in Finnmark are in very good condition with regard to readability, as they have been well preserved. They are unique nationally and internationally in terms of completeness of cases and richness of details.</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Wherever suspected witches were being prosecuted, the State played an important part. Such was the situation in the joined kingdom of Denmark-Norway, too. The powers of the State were ingrained in legislation, in the functioning of the judiciary and in the activities of the Church. There is no doubt that State powers, together with the activities of the king's officials, were decisive for the outcome of the trials. The Danish-Norwegian monarch Christian IV, who reigned from 1588 to1648, was an eager witch-hunter. The highest-ranking officers of the Crown in Finnmark had, as part of their agenda, cleaning the district of witches. These officers were influential with regard to the initiation and the continuation of witchcraft trials. At the top of the hierarchy was the Royal Commander of Vardøhus District, staying at Vardøhus Castle. He was titled District Governor until 1660, after which his title was Regional Governor. The government officials in Finnmark were zealous; every time a new District Governor was installed, an increase in the number of witchcraft trials can be observed. Some of the officials were in office for a long period of time, for instance the Scotsman John Cunningham, who was District Governor at Vardøhus from 1619 to 1651, during which period 41 persons were executed for practising witchcraft. Also during the periods in office of District Governor Jørgen Friis, 1651–1661, and Regional Governor Christopher Orning, 1661–1665, severe witchcraft persecution took place.</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In Norway the arena of a witchcraft trial was the courtroom. Still, the role of the church might be traced in the witchcraft documents. The Reformation took place in Denmark in 1536 and in Norway in 1537. No doubt ideas of the leading Danish theologians were known in Finnmark at the time, representing an understanding of witchcraft where the Devil as a mighty and fear-provoking figure was in the centre. Even if the church was not directly active in initiating the witch-hunt in Finnmark, ministers played a part during the witchcraft trials. Their functions were twofold: participation during interrogation of suspected persons and preparation of the sentenced persons for death.</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Both women and men were accused of being witches during the European witch-hunt. In Finnmark, 111 women and 24 men were prosecuted for practising witchcraft. We find similar gender distributions, around four-fifths of the accused being women and one-fifth being men, in many parts of Europe. However, in a few countries, for instance Iceland, Finland and Estonia, more than 50% of those accused of witchcraft, were men. Of the 91 people executed in Finnmark, there were 77 women and 14 men. We find little data about age in the sources, but about two-thirds of the women executed were married. Every one out of five of the executed women was or had been a maidservant. Many of these women had moved to Finnmark from coastal areas further to the south. At the time of persecution, most of them lived in Vardø or Vadsø or these fishing villages' immediate surroundings. The Finnmark witchcraft trials were strongly connected to East Finnmark, and Vardøhus Castle played an important part in the trials. Suspected women were kept incarcerated there in the so-called “witches' hole”, a room at the Castle where women suspected to be witches were imprisoned for shorter or longer periods of time. Use of torture was common during the Finnmark witchcraft trials, even if the use of torture was illegal before sentence was passed. After sentence torture was permitted, in order to provide names of accomplices. The severest torture was carried out at the Castle. There is documentation in the Finnmark witchcraft documents that at least two persons were tortured to death before sentence was passed. Two-thirds of all the sentences to the stake were passed at the Castle. Only two of these sentences applied to men, so the target of the trials held at Vardøhus clearly was women. </div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>As witchcraft was a crime impossible to prove, circumstantial evidence was used to press forth confessions. The outcome of the water ordeal was often used as evidence, as it was held to be God's judgment. The procedure consisted of throwing the accused person into the sea with his or her hands and feet tied. Water, which was considered a sacred element, was thought to repel evil, so the suspect's rising to the surface and floating was an indication of guilt. Sinking was a sign of innocence. The water ordeal was not defined as torture by the judicial authorities. Fifty per cent of the water ordeals during the Finnmark witchcraft trials were carried out in Vardø. One-third of all who were executed in connection with the witchcraft trials in Finnmark, but only two of the men, were subjected to the water ordeal, and every one of them floated.</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Norwegians and Samis lived side by side in seventeenth-century Finnmark, and both ethnic groups suffered from the ongoing persecution of witches. Approximately four out of every five persons accused of practising witchcraft in Finnmark were Norwegians. The others were Samis. The worst hit group during the witch-hunt was that of Norwegian women. Out of all the accused women, nine out of ten were Norwegian. When looking at women as a group, most of those sentenced to the stake in Finnmark were Norwegian.</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A different picture applies to men: Out of 24 accused men, 16 were Samis, and as many as 13 of them lost their lives. The fact that Samis were relatively numerous among executed men, as compared to Sami women among executed women, may be explained by the fact that Sami men were reputed throughout Europe, for instance through descriptions in history books, to be well versed in magic and sorcery. They were allegedly able to provide sailing winds and good speed, and for using the rune drum. Their practice was an individual practice of traditional forms of witchcraft. Early in the seventeenth century, the Samis in the north were subject to particular scrutiny in connection with the witchcraft trials, as may be understood from a letter sent by King Christian IV in 1609 to the District Governors in the two northernmost districts of Norway. In this letter, it is stated that those who were practising Sami sorcery should be persecuted without mercy. Sami sorcery appears to have played a part primarily in the first phase of the witch hunt in Finnmark. The death sentences related to Sami men were all passed before 1640. However, also during the last phase of the Finnmark witchcraft trials, a few Sami persons were accused of practising witchcraft, without receiving death sentences. A Sami shaman was accused of using the rune drum in 1692, and his case was sent to central authorities in Copenhagen for final decision. However, he was killed with an axe while in legal custody, before his case had been dealt with in Copenhagen.</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Finnmark witchcraft trials were intense, not only in terms of the total number of death sentences, but also because we see clusters of trials lasting for short periods of time. Most of the death sentences were passed in linked trials, so-called panics, meaning that one trial led to another in rapid succession. In Finnmark, the panics only involved women. A characteristic of these trials was that the accused woman confessed that she had forsworn God in heaven and her baptismal pact, and that she had entered into a pact with the Devil. By means of such a pact she obtained powers to carry out evil deeds. Another characteristic was that the accused person confessed she had attended witches’ gatherings where the Devil was present. Finally, she confessed that together with other witches, she had cast fatal spells, or spells that caused disease, on people and livestock, and that she had raised storms, sunk ships and driven the fish away from the shore. As a result of such a confession, other persons were suspected of practising witchcraft, persons who subsequently were summoned to the court and interrogated. The main three panics in Finnmark took place in 1620–1621, 1652–1653, and 1662–1663. The majority of death sentences were passed in panics. Not only adults were exposed to the witch hunt: In the course of the last panic, six little girls were also brought before the court, accused of witchcraft. However, they were all acquitted. </div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The court's verdict hinged on what the accused told the court. Confessing to a pact with the Devil was considered to be very serious, and tantamount to signing one's own death warrant. As in many other European countries, there was a marked element of such confessions in the Finnmark witchcraft trials. Underlying the emphasis on confessions about pacts with the Devil was a European scholarly doctrine, demonology. Its aim was basically to identify the Devil's secret accomplices on earth, and to this end its teachings centred around the means to recognise them and to learn what they could accomplish. All over Europe, a number of books laying out the tenets of demonology were published from the second half of the fifteenth through the first half of the sixteenth centuries. The ideas of these books became well-known among Europe’s learned elite.</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In Denmark-Norway, these ideas had an impact on legislation and church affairs. As a result of the Crown's active involvement in State affairs, the ideas spread to all parts of the realm. In 1617, King Christian IV issued a decree whereby a witch was defined as one who was bonded to the Devil or who consorted with him. However, it was only in the northernmost district of the kingdom that these ideas came to influence the development of witchcraft trials. Ideas about pacts with the Devil, witches' covens and collective witchcraft operations became pivotal in the confessions made by persons accused in the Finnmark trials. The collective aspect, which was implicit in the confessions, led to the swift accusation of numerous people within a brief span of time, people who were, in turn, brought before the court, accused of witchcraft, interrogated, convicted, sentenced to loss of life at the stake and, finally, burnt.</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The local courts played an important part, in that they launched prosecutions and made the trials continue. The law was upheld by officials who were terrified of what witches might do, with the Devil's help. Hence, the subjective element of official intervention might have been decisive when a legal process was launched in a community. The Church preached fear of Satan, dwelling upon his appearance and highlighting his powers. We should not forget that at the time, in the seventeenth century, oral transmission was still virtually the rule in Finnmark. All information from the local courts and about the ministers' sermons was recounted among the locals. Thus, the tales about the Devil and his pact were retold time and time again in the local villages, and they resurfaced as confessions in the courts.</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>From the court records of the Finnmark witchcraft trials, we see how arbitrary decisions, pressure under interrogation, and use of torture forced accused persons to confess having practised witchcraft. Such confessions led to the stake. Those sentenced to death for having practised witchcraft were burnt alive, tied to a ladder. Judicial practice at the local courts, far from central authorities in Copenhagen, is part of the explanation of the severity of the Finnmark witchcraft trials. Also demonology as an ideological construction must be considered among the explanatory factors. From the Finnmark sources, a correlation between local courts, a majority of women accused of witchcraft, confession of the Devil’s pact, torture, and a high execution rate can be observed for the middle period of the witch-hunt. In addition, the idea that Sami men were well versed in sorcery might be considered as part of the explanation for the beginning and the end of the Finnmark witchcraft trials.</div>
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The strong fear of witches, influencing state and church, gradually was reduced during the latter part of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth century. A new way of thinking took over, questioning witchcraft as an alleged crime. As a result of this, the European witchcraft trials as a historical phenomenon came to an end. </div>
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-43402824626898096792013-05-01T06:20:00.000+01:002013-05-13T19:18:18.396+01:00Monika Forsberg's MUMMY NEEDS GIN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4C60xeBEGv-gGKHugcnLfINrghYpWtS8CZSG5wkQNtmF7KXs_3aMtlr4DkXXqPcfQx8loaczgbzFDUXxOa1-cXVOe6t-fTaFSuGam74TLZPtU8RCpA6yZ3PfWjfi5m1he568GYlVSUU/s1600/IX_MummyNeedsGin_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4C60xeBEGv-gGKHugcnLfINrghYpWtS8CZSG5wkQNtmF7KXs_3aMtlr4DkXXqPcfQx8loaczgbzFDUXxOa1-cXVOe6t-fTaFSuGam74TLZPtU8RCpA6yZ3PfWjfi5m1he568GYlVSUU/s1600/IX_MummyNeedsGin_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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Since interviewing <a href="http://www.walkyland.com/">Monika Forsberg</a> many years ago in the <a href="http://siouxwire-annex.blogspot.co.uk/2007/04/interview-monika-forsberg.html">early days of SiouxWIRE</a>, we have become great friends and my admiration for her work has only grown as years go by. Her latest animation <i><a href="https://vimeo.com/61014159">Mummy Needs Gin</a></i> is another sublime classic recently featured on Channel 4's <a href="http://randomacts.channel4.com/">Random Acts</a> and at <a href="http://barshorts.com/hear-ye-hear-ye-bar-shorts-hits-manchester/">Bar Shorts Manchester</a>. Based on the tweets of Lady Cook of <a href="https://twitter.com/40elephantsmob">@40elephantsmob</a>, it tells the story of a single mother in London. And as today is Monika's birthday (Happy Birthday!), this is a particularly special post with contributions from Monika, @40elephantsmob, and Alex D. Hay.<br />
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First, watch the animation then read through to learn about how it was made and all the work that went into this gem. Enjoy.<br />
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"Bronchitis check, scarf check, blanket check, shitty little fan heater check, working boiler oh fuck. I blame the Tories. Then my ex."</blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">How did <i>Mummy Needs Gin</i> first come about?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="color: #ffd966;">MONIKA:</span> I thought it was time for me to make another film because it'd been quite a few years since my last one and I thought the <a href="http://randomacts.channel4.com/">Random Acts</a> thing on channel 4 would be a good starting point. I came across <a href="https://twitter.com/40elephantsmob">@40elephantsmob</a> by chance at around the same time as I was toying around with ideas for a short film<br />
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…and one day when I was talking to Lady Cook I said CAN WE MAKE A FILM OUT OF YOU(R TWEETS)?<br />
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…and she said yes without any hesitation!<br />
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She writes really well about personal highs and lows (without being self centred) and political things and life in general. Most of all, she is funny without seemingly need to try very hard. Very inspiring basically. I handed the proposal in and then we met in real life and that was scary (my son said "STRANGER DANGER! You can’t just go and meet up with people from the internet") but luckily she turned out to be a super sound girl in real life too. Very happy I met her.<br />
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Then Chris Shepherd phoned up and said to the answering machine on my phone "HEY c4 said yes to mummyneedsgin HOORAY" but since I seldom answer my phone and never listen to messages I didn’t hear that message and eventually Chris emailed me and told me the good news.<br />
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..and I went woohoo!<br />
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…and then I went OH SHIT! because that meant there was no going back. I had to make this film. Scary. It's easy to be ballsy and go "I can do this (or that or whatever)" but then when you actually get the opportunity there’s sometimes that parrot on your shoulder there going "that will be an impossible task". Luckily there’s a snake on the other shoulder going "I GONNA EAT YOU, YOU FUCKING STUPID PARROT!" Is this what’s called inner turmoil? I spend a lot of time arguing with myself.<br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;">LADYCOOK:</span> <i>Mummy Needs Gin</i> came about from me Lady Cook of Forty Elephants Mob, and Monika Forsberg randomly making contact on Twitter. We instantly bounced jokes, rants and musings. I think there's a synergy between women who are not only mums, but slightly frustrated artists. It's all very well having a million wonderful creative ideas but as a mummy you literally do not have a spare moment to sit down and work them through. As a single mummy I barely have time to breathe let alone do art.<br />
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Monika asked if I'd be cool with her doing some art with the tweets and I said go for it. The twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/40elephantsmob">@40elephantsmob</a> does have other contributors, but all the tweets for the film were written (ranted?) by Lady Cook. People had suggested before working with a visual artist for my poetry but I'd never clicked with anyone’s style, despite knowing truckloads of graf artists/painters/illustrators, then voila, the twitter universe introduced us.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">How did the imagery develop from the words/tweets?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="color: #e06666;">LADYCOOK:</span> Monika developed all the images 100%, I wholeheartedly trusted her and said "surprise me". I knew I liked her hand styles and would like the end result.</div>
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">MONIKA:</span> I wanted to make a hand drawn animation with marker pens but as marker pens bleed and the scanner I got is shit and most of all; there wasn’t a very long production time at all, I was gonna do it on the computer. I met up with lady cook and showed her the tweets I liked and loved and she agreed on me using them. I studied illustration at college but I freeze like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Moon#Howard_Moon">Howard Moon</a> when I gotta illustrate things. And to put moving pictures to someone’s words is like illustrating so I froze.<br />
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But Howard Moon is cool and so am I (but I don’t play the trumpet) so i decided to bypass illustrating her words and just started to draw and doodle what I felt, my reaction to her text (maybe that’s what illustration is?) to see what would happen because the strength of her words is that I can really recognise myself in her even though I’ve not ever been in her shoes and... she just writes so you can feel as if you’ve been there.<br />
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Also I had(and still do have) a two year old called Reginald on my heels and animation takes up a lot of time and doesn’t really mix well with parenthood but luckily Reggie’s dad took time off work so I could spend a month and a half getting lost in animation... We recorded a guide track with the tweets being read out loud (that’s how I visualised it) then I spent a month drawing and drawing and drawing and nothing made sense.<br />
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When there was 2 weeks before I had to hand over the film to the composer I had something that really didn’t work so I decided to scrap it and start anew. I got rid of the voice over and put down type. I am very scared of fonts and any graphic design. Whatever you’re scared of GO FOR IT! => It won’t be scary but it might be shit. Then I started drawing in black and white, and quickly realised that I would need to practise a lot harder and for a longer time if I was gonna pull off a stark line drawn animation (because it’d have to be beautiful) so I did quick cut out drawings instead and made the whole thing in a week. It sort of just fell into place. I just drew and fitted it into the story... I wanted to make something that sort of made you go zig-a-zig… ahhh!!! The imagery didn’t develop easily.<br />
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Also, I was worried I’d turn it into something Lady Cook might hate because I was illustrating her life. She said, “You do what you want. I see it a bit like a consequences game where you draw a bit and then fold the paper and the next person takes over and does the next bit.” Such a generous girl.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">To me, <i>Mummy Needs Gin</i> feels like swimming in memory. How would you describe <i>Mummy Needs Gin</i>?</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">MONIKA:</span> “Swimming in memory” is a lovely phrase. I thought I’d just do whatever I think right now and then that was it. It’s very direct. It’s not thought through. It was fast like a tweet; fleeting. I’d describe <i>Mummy Needs Gin</i> as in-the-moment, now. When Alex came on board it all fell into place. I wanted happy uplifting music because it’s easy to get a bitter and down beat mood into the film by having the wrong music and I really, really wanted it to reflect the words that come into my mind when I think of Lady Cook ie STRONG, GENEROUS, FUNNY and very, very likeable<br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;">LADYCOOK:</span> I have described <i>Mummy Needs Gin</i> as a bit like inviting people to rake through my knickers drawer, with a soundtrack of excerpts from my diary! The last year has been <b>challenging</b> in a lot of ways. I used Twitter as a bit of a dump bucket for the emotional shite that’s passed - it gets to a point where you feel humiliated calling up friends crying about being skint/lonely/terrified of this mad new single parent future. I love writing and words so made up a game making jokes in 140 characters of these dire situations. I'm quite easily amused so I'd actually cheer myself up writing the jokes and be sitting there laughing all of a sudden I remember typing the pancake one. I think my son and I ate pancakes for three days running and in truth, he was delighted whilst I was thinking OMG we're going to get scurvy soon! It brought back good memories too, the needing to wee in the cab one was coming back from an <a href="http://www.metalfacedoom.com/">MF Doom</a> gig, being desperate to wee but also literally buzzing of how inspired I was by his show.<br />
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I didn't view a rough cut at any point, I just wanted to see it in its finished glory. I LOVED IT. I honestly think it is friggin amazing and wouldn't change a thing. My second reaction was I want mooooore, I could watch it for hours!!! I think it is beautifully drawn and it blows my mind that a few lines of plain text became this gorgeous thing, Monika is a genius and has this amazing eye to pull it all together. She made a good call choosing Alex to do the soundtrack too as it is so apt, I love the kids voice, it was like my son got brought into it which meant a lot to me.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">What was your reaction to completed animation and what were the reactions of others who've seen it?</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #ffd966;">MONIKA:</span> Without the music, people saw the film and went “oh” (it didnt make sense). People saw the film with music and went “YES!” This film was not about perfection but about being who you are and being okay with it.<br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;">LADYCOOK:</span> I know I'm totally biased in my "it's amazing, unique, everyone must see it" opinion... but that doesn't mean it's not true? We surfed Twitter on the night it was on and there was literally not one negative comment, bearing in mind that this was strangers talking about us not to us, that was a nice surprise. I was fearful of a bit of a 'she's a bitter baby mother' critique but it was so gently curated by Monika it didn't strike that chord. Was also a bit nervous about my family and close friends seeing it, as it is slightly laying out my pain for public consumption, but they all wholeheartedly love it. I think the comments of strangers on Twitter were interesting in that a few of them were a bit 'WTF was that?' which I read as they'd not seen anything on that vibe before, taking a humorous visual stance on that domestic situation. Someone said 'Ooooh i was glad she had a nice cuppa at the end'!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Alex D. Hay of</span> <a href="http://www.themeowmeows.com/">The Meow Meows</a> <span style="color: #f6b26b;">wrote the soundtrack and shared his experiences working on the soundtrack to <i>Mummy Needs Gin</i>...</span></b><br />
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I was put in touch by a mutual mate - Danny, who sings in my band <a href="http://www.themeowmeows.com/">The Meow Meows</a>. She said that her friend was needing a soundtrack really quickly for an animation that she'd done, and did I want to take a crack at it? I did.<br />
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She sent me the (silent) film right away, and told me a couple of songs that she had in mind. What was interesting was that they were completely different - one acoustic-guitar based, another an upbeat party anthem. I decided to take elements of both those tunes and mash them together, made a beat and put some chords over it, and then went from there.<br />
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I had most of the music done in a couple of days, and then we went back and forth about the sound effects, and I spent a while tweaking the mix to get something I was happy with.<br />
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I felt lucky to be involved for several reasons. The text and the animation speak for themselves; it was obvious I had to produce something to match the sort of anarchic, skewed joie-de-vivre they both suggest. I'm very happy to have contributed to such a warm, funny, humanistic project. Single mothers are demonised in certain elements of the press and it's great to see a positive portrayal which is at the same time real and not sugar-coated. Also Monika was a dream director to work with as she clearly articulated what she was looking for, but gave me the freedom to do pretty much whatever I wanted.<br />
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<b>Links:</b></div>
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<a href="https://vimeo.com/61014159">Mummy Needs Gin (Vimeo)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.walkyland.com/">Walkyland</a></div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/40elephantsmob">@40elephantsmob</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.themeowmeows.com/">The Meow Meows</a></div>
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<a href="http://randomacts.channel4.com/">Random Acts (Channel 4)</a></div>
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<a href="http://siouxwire-annex.blogspot.co.uk/2007/04/interview-monika-forsberg.html">Monika Forsberg interview (SiouxWIRE)</a></div>
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From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-14474039289826047312013-04-30T07:44:00.000+01:002013-05-02T12:51:40.829+01:00Dominik Śmiałowski<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6KqXjAM7Z64/UXuWF-UJbEI/AAAAAAAAF6E/Lb3lUsJuhfk/s1600/IX_Smialowski_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6KqXjAM7Z64/UXuWF-UJbEI/AAAAAAAAF6E/Lb3lUsJuhfk/s1600/IX_Smialowski_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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I am impressed with <a href="http://www.smialowski.net/index.php?go=zdjecie&id=148&start=0">Dominik Śmiałowski</a>'s portraits which have subtle hints of narrative that spill through into his more conceptual works. His body of work is prolific and this is difficult when I'm trying to put forward a representative sample of an artist's work. His site is full of diverse works divergent from the sample you see here and I highly recommended browsing through <a href="http://www.smialowski.net/index.php?go=zdjecie&id=148&start=0">his site</a>.<br />
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Dominik also was kind enough to hurdle language barriers and time to answer a few questions for me below.<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><b>Describe your equipment and your favourite camera/lens combination?</b></span><br />
Equipment is the least important thing. For each project I choose a camera which suits the project.<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><b>What is your typical workflow and which part of the process do you find most difficult and which do you find most enjoyable? </b></span><br />
I like to press shutter button. I hate working in Photoshop, it's boring.<br />
But I love the moment when the project begins to form a whole idea from its birth in my mind.<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><b>What non-photographic arts inspire you? And which photographer in the last 10 years inspired you?</b></span><br />
Maybe it's weird but literature is for me the most inspiring thing. My books are all highlighted. I point out sentences that give me ideas.<br />
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Photographer whom I value most is <a href="http://www.mariuszhermanowicz.com/accueil.php?langue=uk&page=accueil">Mariusz Hermanowicz</a>. Three words about his photos: power of simplicity.<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><b>Which photograph or series of photos are you most proud? And which photograph would you mark out as a turning point in your development?</b></span><br />
Difficult choice:) I like single photos, below 3 of which I am not ashamed.<br />
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<a href="http://www.smialowski.net/index.php?go=zdjecie&id=275&start=15">ONE</a><br />
<a href="http://www.smialowski.net/index.php?go=zdjecie&id=260&start=0">TWO</a><br />
<a href="http://www.smialowski.net/index.php?go=zdjecie&id=148&start=0">THREE</a><br />
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The photography by which I knew that I was gonna be a photographer, my first <i>conscious</i> photos are <a href="http://www.smialowski.net/index.php?go=zdjecie&id=148&start=0">HERE</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><b>What catches your eye, makes you press the shutter button, sparks your imagination when you're wandering with your camera?</b></span><br />
Deviations from the norm.<br />
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.smialowski.net/index.php?go=zdjecie&id=148&start=0">Dominik Śmiałowski</a><br />
<a href="http://www.behance.net/smialowski">Dominik Śmiałowski (Behance)</a><br />
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<i>All images used with the kind consent of Dominik Śmiałowski - All images © Dominik Śmiałowski 2013</i><div class="blogger-post-footer"><P> </P>
From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-34037782272113935932013-04-29T07:02:00.000+01:002013-05-13T19:19:04.953+01:00Leigh Martin's DECOMPOSITION<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The poetry of <a href="http://cargocollective.com/bromeleighad">Leigh Martin</a>'s knitted sculptural works is in the organic quality of knitting itself. I was overjoyed when she granted permission to feature her on SiouxWIRE. See her <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Bromeleighad?ref=search_shop_redirect">Etsy shop</a> for prints of her work.<br />
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In her own words:<br />
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"The [Decomposition] series is a study on the intricate textures of fungi and how they blend in to their natural environment. At a glance and from a distance, these knitted replicas meld in as a part of the magnificent cycle that transforms living plants to detritus and further into minerals that nourish other living plants as they draw these minerals up from the soil. For instance, when viewing the installation at the distance of the bottom photo the pieces appear natural and as though they are meant to exist there. However, on a closer encounter one sees that these are not fruiting bodies at all. The delicate knit stitch stands out and draws you in for closer inspection, much like the intricacies in the texture of fungi draw me in. These elements spur on a stream of questions that carry me meditatively in to a place of introspection. While this is a personal project, I hope that it excites the same way of thinking amongst its viewers, elevating to a greater level of awareness of one's surroundings."</blockquote>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PDB79NefVz0/UXz8lD4uDFI/AAAAAAAAF9A/LE9dlRDbOiM/s1600/IX_LeighMartin_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PDB79NefVz0/UXz8lD4uDFI/AAAAAAAAF9A/LE9dlRDbOiM/s1600/IX_LeighMartin_1.jpg" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My purpose and founding ideas for this series revolve around the deficit in our society of interaction and awareness of the details in our natural environment. I am of the belief that connecting to nature in this way is a crucial element to living a fulfilling and present life. Natural intricacies, such as the detailed textures of fungi, consistently draw me in. These elements spur on a stream of questions that carry me meditatively in to a place of introspection. My hope is that this series excites the same way of thinking amongst its viewers, elevating them to a greater awareness of their surroundings."</blockquote>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UhdsUjn_zi4/UXz8lLhoOxI/AAAAAAAAF9I/gcOz8U__ACs/s1600/IX_LeighMartin_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UhdsUjn_zi4/UXz8lLhoOxI/AAAAAAAAF9I/gcOz8U__ACs/s1600/IX_LeighMartin_2.jpg" /></a></div>
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"When viewed from afar, the knitted pieces appear natural and as though they belong in the installation’s setting. However, on a closer encounter one finds that the pieces are not real fruiting bodies at all. The delicate knit stitch stands out and draws the viewer in for closer inspection."</blockquote>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--vuvotS_8fk/UXz8lvCAjwI/AAAAAAAAF9c/CfNiUG6-CT0/s1600/IX_LeighMartin_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--vuvotS_8fk/UXz8lvCAjwI/AAAAAAAAF9c/CfNiUG6-CT0/s1600/IX_LeighMartin_3.jpg" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My name is Leigh Martin, and I am a fiber artist and nature enthusiast residing in Central Oklahoma. My career in urban forestry involves connecting people to the trees in their communities. While trees are my greatest love, knitting is one of my greatest passions, retreats, releases and creative impulses."</blockquote>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pBhlPZbBI6w/UXz8l1p4XmI/AAAAAAAAF9U/QSALnOQisSA/s1600/IX_LeighMartin_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pBhlPZbBI6w/UXz8l1p4XmI/AAAAAAAAF9U/QSALnOQisSA/s1600/IX_LeighMartin_4.jpg" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I learned to knit at a young age, though it never caught on as a consistent hobby until my college years. Always making gifts for friends or to raise money for various causes, it's only been in the past few years that I've begun knitting for myself. Projects have included knitwear, but more importantly I have devoted time and energy to developing sculptural concepts, designing my own patterns, and experimenting with free form fiber art as a form of expression. I've discovered an exceptionally fulfilling outlet and I am grateful to be sharing my work with you here."</blockquote>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LhZNSXwNgjM/UXz8mEMMv4I/AAAAAAAAF9Y/E6fA1iDIREU/s1600/IX_LeighMartin_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LhZNSXwNgjM/UXz8mEMMv4I/AAAAAAAAF9Y/E6fA1iDIREU/s1600/IX_LeighMartin_5.jpg" /></a></div>
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"I hope that viewers take away from my work a greater awareness of their natural surroundings, a sense of how complex every ecosystem is and greater vision for noticing and enjoying these details in their daily life."</blockquote>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7qjmrReuTzA/UXz8oFVEnLI/AAAAAAAAF9s/Wgv6cxgcf6Q/s1600/IX_LeighMartin_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7qjmrReuTzA/UXz8oFVEnLI/AAAAAAAAF9s/Wgv6cxgcf6Q/s1600/IX_LeighMartin_6.jpg" /></a></div>
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"I am pursuing the "52 Forms of Fungi" project in the year 2013 as a challenge for myself in developing new fiber art concepts, construction patterns, and skill related to the technique of my artistic medium. The project directly supports my ongoing fiber art series, "Decomposition" and also serves as a meditative practice inciting creativity and new awareness of natural processes as I learn more about these organisms that thrive amongst us and surrounding our communities."</blockquote>
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://cargocollective.com/bromeleighad">BromeLeighad (homepage)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Bromeleighad?ref=search_shop_redirect">BromeLeighad Fiber Arts (Etsy)</a><br />
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<i>All images used with the kind consent of Leigh Martin - All images © Leigh Martin 2013</i><div class="blogger-post-footer"><P> </P>
From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-35019181599826041552013-04-28T01:16:00.000+01:002013-04-28T01:16:00.077+01:00INTERVIEW: Guy Batey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-44Czjq7i0HU/UXujk7a0wJI/AAAAAAAAF8A/OfEvZqY4u0c/s1600/IX_GuyBatey_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-44Czjq7i0HU/UXujk7a0wJI/AAAAAAAAF8A/OfEvZqY4u0c/s1600/IX_GuyBatey_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Prior to the hiatus of SiouxWIRE back in 2010, I had a list of artists whose work lingered in my list of subjects to feature. One in particular, <a href="http://www.guybatey.com/index.html">Guy Batey</a>, inspired me greatly with his "portraits of the objects" in his series <i>The Melancholy of Objects</i> which highlights his ability to evoke so much character from objects (and places) to the point that I feel like laughing out loud. To me, many of his images have a narrative quality pregnant with metaphor yet subtle enough to linger in the sublime. He very graciously spared me some time to answer a few questions.</blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Describe your equipment and your favourite camera/lens combination and explain why you choose to use this setup.</span></b><br />
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My colour work with The Melancholy of Objects and A Fragile Hold was all taken with a Rolleiflex T with Fuji Pro400H film.<br />
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The black and white 35mm of the on-going Memento series is taken mostly with a Olympus OM-1, usually with a 28mm lens and Kodak Tri-X.<br />
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I always thought I could never see photographically in B&W, even though I've always admired other people’s B&W work enormously. But I began to realise a couple of years ago I didn't always want or need the descriptive resolution of medium format, and I wanted to force myself to see differently. So the B&W 35mm is a way of reducing this extraneous information, and concentrating on the mood and atmosphere of what I'm seeing – not the details.<br />
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I also wanted to concentrate far more on the quality of light itself as an active part of the photo – and B&W film is astonishing for the way it can cope with both extreme density and contrast and also delicacy of light. Colour for me was neutral and descriptive; informative, not expressive. I always preferred to work in quite low flat light, without direct sunshine or harsh shadows, whereas with B&W I can now use much higher levels of light and contrast.<br />
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The Rolleiflex had a still static quality; while the OM with a wide angle is much more dynamic. The wide angle lens is a way of connecting things – this thing with that thing, or this thing and that place. It can link things literally and metaphorically; whereas the Rolleiflex tended to isolate and fix.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What is your typical workflow and which part of the process do you find most difficult and which do you find most enjoyable? </span></b><br />
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I've been working in Berlin for a couple of years now, and it’s an amazing place for the sheer density of memory and history – perfect for me. I do less aimless wandering than I did in London, and more planned trips these days, as I found I was just getting much better material from an organised focused trip.<br />
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At the moment, I'm looking for marks and tracks, memories and elegies, traces of human intervention and presence. I've always tried to depict human life by its absence, by the marks of its absence, and then trying to make this absence solid.<br />
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When I was a painter, I felt sometimes I was making the same painting over and over again – and I have the same continued obsession in photography with these linked oppositions and connections of absence and presence.<br />
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I don’t take a lot of shots – even with 35mm I’ll spend a lot of time working with the subject and trying to get it right – I don’t like endless editing and choosing between multiple shots. One of the many reasons I like film is that you can’t instantly see what you've done – you have to imagine it, so you can’t switch between taking and editing. You have to stay in the picture-taking mode, and only put on your editing head once you've developed the negatives.<br />
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I'm a pretty slow photographer too, and I've realised I just don’t work well with fast moving or time-based situations – I prefer to look carefully after the action or event.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Which photographer in the last 10 years inspired you? </span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.anderspetersen.se/">Anders Petersen</a> I love, though I could never work as up-close with others as he does – maybe that’s why I like what he does so much. So many others – <a href="http://www.vanessawinship.com/projects.php">Vanessa Winship</a>, <a href="http://jasoneskenazi.com/">Jason Eskenazi</a>, <a href="http://www.joakimeskildsen.com/">Joakim Eskildsen</a>, <a href="http://www.agencevu.com/photographers/photographer.php?id=1">Michael Ackerman</a> – I seem to like photographers who focus on people, even though they almost never appear in my own work. <br />
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I have also been very influenced by the work of many of the East German photographers working in the ‘70s and ‘80s – <a href="http://www.berlin-ineinerhundenacht.de/">Gundula Schulze Eldowy</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_Hauswald">Harald Hauswald</a>, and <a href="http://www.photoeditionberlin.com/k%C3%BCnstler-artists/manfred-paul/">Manfred Paul</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">Which photograph or series of photos are you most proud? And which photograph would you mark out as a turning point in your development?</span></b><br />
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I think <i>Piano</i> was significant, because it was at that point I got the feeling something was trying to tell me to change. It was like – you can have this one, but no more. It took a couple of years before I found a new way of working, but I realised I just couldn't rely on serendipity for ever.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qJCq-bA6p3U/UXujmXGtDaI/AAAAAAAAF8M/MZLEwxkwKjs/s1600/IX_GuyBatey_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qJCq-bA6p3U/UXujmXGtDaI/AAAAAAAAF8M/MZLEwxkwKjs/s1600/IX_GuyBatey_4.jpg" /></a></div>
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I think <i>Chairs</i> was significant, because it was my first B&W 35mm shot I liked, and even though it seemed at the time to be the same sort of object-based imagery as the <i>Melancholy of Objects</i> series, I thought there was something new going on.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f1c232;">What catches your eye, makes you press the shutter button, sparks your imagination when you're wandering with your camera?</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
It’s a feeling of recognition – something just jumps out at me, and demands to be taken. It’s a combination of a particular thing in a specific place in a certain light – all these things have to work together in one moment.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzpgRpdnznA/UXujm9riCgI/AAAAAAAAF8o/N3y7sGaRwLk/s1600/IX_GuyBatey_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzpgRpdnznA/UXujm9riCgI/AAAAAAAAF8o/N3y7sGaRwLk/s1600/IX_GuyBatey_6.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.guybatey.com/index.html">Guy Batey</a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/guybatey/">Guy Batey (Flickr)</a><br />
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<i>All images used with the kind consent of Guy Batey - All images © Guy Batey 2013</i><div class="blogger-post-footer"><P> </P>
From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-56654283394728987892013-04-27T07:00:00.000+01:002013-05-04T22:06:25.907+01:00Movies in Color<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6AgUDIOp9T0/UXqBiNP9fKI/AAAAAAAAF5s/JiJQYCgfeUE/s1600/IX_MovieColor_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6AgUDIOp9T0/UXqBiNP9fKI/AAAAAAAAF5s/JiJQYCgfeUE/s1600/IX_MovieColor_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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There's something marvellous about the poetry in these images that fuse artistry with the technical and analytical. See more at <a href="http://moviesincolor.com/">moviesincolor.com</a>.<br />
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://moviesincolor.com/">Movies in Color</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><P> </P>
From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-65961631914630440152013-04-26T11:29:00.001+01:002013-04-26T22:49:57.156+01:00Bong Joon-Ho's SNOWPIERCER Character Posters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wA6P37x2vio/UXo_wSvrZ-I/AAAAAAAAF3c/mlrCmbYouLQ/s1600/IX_Snowpierce_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wA6P37x2vio/UXo_wSvrZ-I/AAAAAAAAF3c/mlrCmbYouLQ/s1600/IX_Snowpierce_0.jpg" /></a></div>
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The first images from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bong_Joon-ho">Boon Joon-Ho</a>'s adaptation of Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette's graphic novel <i>Le Transperceneige</i> have surfaced and are extremely emotive, particularly Tilda Swinton (above). From the devastating results of an experiment to stop global warming, the last of humanity reside on the Snow Piercer, a train that travels around the world propelled by a perpetual motion engine. Like George Orwell's <i>Animal Farm</i>, the last of humanity though equal in salvation soon develop a class system that threatens their existence.<br />
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The film is due for release this Summer (2013). Filming wrapped at <a href="http://www.barrandov.cz/en/">Barrandov Studios</a>, Prague in July last year. See the full resolution images <a href="http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=37160">HERE</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0J4RP15ai4rgJXkNaQCxriDpwmt2n_vrlLdFMp8O_1JXaMLuSj3NTI9PXKuLQqbviuuo2E83_WDEXm7uaLrrCxclyw6p7dLIZlCCOQMzjLOxZkDFjUvs1reuWH5MvAID3k_MBcl3Ptbg/s1600/IX_Snowpierce_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0J4RP15ai4rgJXkNaQCxriDpwmt2n_vrlLdFMp8O_1JXaMLuSj3NTI9PXKuLQqbviuuo2E83_WDEXm7uaLrrCxclyw6p7dLIZlCCOQMzjLOxZkDFjUvs1reuWH5MvAID3k_MBcl3Ptbg/s1600/IX_Snowpierce_8.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bong_Joon-ho">Bong Joon-Ho(Wiki)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0094435/">Bong Joon-Ho(IMDB)</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Lob">Jacques Lob (Wiki)</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Marc_Rochette">Jean-Marc Rochette</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barrandov.cz/en/">Barrandov Studios</a><br />
<a href="http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=37160">Snowpiercer (Empire) - source</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><P> </P>
From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7063662548053579178.post-86032884005908315712013-04-25T19:25:00.001+01:002013-04-25T23:21:22.294+01:00Michel Gondry's MOOD INDIGO (English Trailer)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The English subtitled version of <a href="http://michelgondry.com/">Michel Gondry</a>'s Mood Indigo trailer has been released and this marks the first post after the update of SiouxWIRE. Is it an improvement? Is it not enough? Feedback is welcome.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="298" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MNVfBmjiN1k" width="530"></iframe><br /></div>
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<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://michelgondry.com/">Michelgondry.com</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mood_Indigo_(film)">Mood Indigo (Wiki)</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><P> </P>
From <a href="http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/">SiouxWIRE (http://siouxwire.blogspot.com/)</a></div>Siouxfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673561146654223129noreply@blogger.com0