Women Cinemakers My work in general tries to express my belief that the whole body is the most valuable thing a human has. But I find it mind blowing how stereotypes created by media affect women. Some women are chasing an unachievable, unrealistic “perfect” goal, created by strangers. I wonder how many viewers think “I should be slimmer, taller, prettier, more naked,” etc. while viewing the work, but I never really have these thoughts myself. There is always something we want to change, but maybe we should just deal with what we have. I don’t think the fact I am a women has special value, I think the fact that I am trying to understand other women, and put myself in their shoes has special value. Many artists express the ideas that they explore through representations of the body and by using their own bodies in their creative processes, as you did in the interesting . German visual artist Gerhard Richter once underlined that " ": how do you consider the relation between of the ideas you aim to interview
Women Cinemakers communicate and of creating your artworks? My artworks are part of me and they are my way of expressing the feelings and thoughts I have in my head. I always believed that different states of mind require different way of expression - that’s why I keep myself open to all creative media. When there is a need, I automatically know how I will make it. Whether I’m painting, creating a photo installation or video I always use my own body as a medium. I feel very tuned with my body, so my art is me and my body. To emphasize the ubiquitous bond between everyday life's experience and creative process British visual artist Chris Ofili once remarked that " ". How does every day life's experience fuel your creative process? Watching people in everyday situations gives me the biggest kick. Very often I’m amazed how people react, what they demand and how ridiculous they are. Obviously as mentioned interview
Women Cinemakers
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Women Cinemakers before the current political and social affairs also paly big part of my art. We have appreciated the originality of your artistic research and before leaving this conversation we want to catch this occasion to ask you to express your view on in the contemporary art scene. For more than half a century women have been discouraged from producing something ' ', however in the last decades women are finding their voices in art: as an artist interests in the cinematic arts with feminist theory, how would you describe your personal experience as an unconventional artist? And what's your view on the future of women in this interdisciplinary field? Well, it’s not easy. I will never forget when I was told that “female students never become artists, as they only study to be nice additions to male artists. And once they have kids, they’re done”. It’s so ridiculous that it’s hard to comment. I try not to think about my art being not as popular as some male artists, just because they are men, but if you look at any statistic, its men being the majority. I don’t think female artists are in any way worse or interview
Women Cinemakers better, but its “man’s world” so it’s easier to make a career for a man. Also I don’t think that unconventional art is the most popular, but that will never drive me to paint landscapes. Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Łucja. Finally, would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects? How do you see your work evolving? It was my pleasure. There is few personal changes in my life, but it just gives me more energy to create. I’m working at the moment on new video project and few paintings. I am thinking about a bigger video project, but at the moment it’s just an evolving idea. I don’t think I am able to have everything planned as my art is linked to my emotions, which are always changing. An interview by Francis L. Quettier and Dora S. Tennant [email protected] interview
Women Cinemakers
Hello Chrissie and welcome to WomenCinemakers: we would start this interview with a couple of questions about your cultural background. Are there any experience that did particularly influence your evolution as an artist? Moreover, how does your due to your travels throughout four An interview by Francis L. Quettier and Dora S. Tennant [email protected] continents direct the trajectory of your artistic research? My cultural background in British white working class. I was brought up in a large extended family situation, living with my grandparents as well as a parents and siblings. In relation to this particular piece of work, the retro nostalgic feel comes from TV watching on Sundays and my first encounter with the idea of ‘woman’. There were a lot of 40s\50s movies on at that time. I can remember being fascinated with Chrissie Stewart Women Cinemakers meets Lives and works in London, United Kingdom Shadows explores the paradox of 'spotlight' and 'shadows' in relation to gender and 'being'.
Women Cinemakers interview the shape and glamour of the women portrayed. Throughout my practice and certainly since my first degree at Goldsmiths College, where I was part of a study group led by Mary Kelly, the intellectual side of my creativity has gender construction at its heart. My films in particular concern themselves with revisiting tropes that describe ‘woman’ in a reductive way. For this special edition of we have selected , an extremely interesting experimental short film that our readers have already started to get to know in the introductory pages of this article and that can be viewed at . When walking our readers through the genesis of , would you tell us how did you develop the initial idea? ‘Shadows’ evolved whilst I was researching women singers on youtube. I found a film of
Women Cinemakers
Women Cinemakers
Women Cinemakers Dionne Warwick singing, I think it was ‘Walk on By” and became interested in the shadows that her in the spotlight created. I cropped the image down to this piece and started to ‘play’ with it. I then searched for other women singing in the spotlight. The film of Judy Garland attracted me, with its wonderful red and Lynchlike feel to it. I played with this too. About this time, I heard something on the radio about Plato’s Allegory of the Cave which is about perception and illusions of ‘life’. This underpinned the paradox of the film, women in spotlight but shadows of an authentic self. We have appreciated the way you have provided with such a poetic quality, capable of establishing emotional involvement in the viewers: what were your when editing your video in order to achiece such brilliant results? interview
I have to admit, the poetic and aesthetic part of the film is the most intuitive bit. I get lost in the construction of the samples of film, the timings, sound etc. I let go of what I call my ‘front lobal thinking’. This is where my history as an abstract painter comes to the fore. I do feel the way I feel as I paint. As you have remarked in your artist's statement, A still from Shadows
: how do you consider the relationship between experience and imagination? In particular, how do you consider the role of direct experience as starting point for your artistic research? I very much rate direct experience as being the heart of work. I genuinely A still from Shadows
Women Cinemakers have always struggled with concepts of femininity and gender perfomativity in relation to who I actual am. It was always like someone forcing me to wear clothes that I didn’t relate to or like. I was and still am a feminist and still search for a way of being that does not categorise or pigeonhole me.This makes the revisiting of those ‘alien’ tropes and the reworking of them almost an act of revenge. deviates from traditional filmmaking technique seems to aim at developing that you included in your work: how importance do images play in your work? I do feel like I am retelling a old narrative through symbolic means, despite the fact that I use experimental non narrative means.I am not always sure that it will resonate or translates. In a previous film, I used film of elephant painting to express my feelings about a male dominated painting world but some people thought I was an animal activist!! We have particularly appreciated the way highlights the ubiquitous instertitial points between the real and the imagined and in this sense we daresay that you film responds to German photographer Andreas Gursky when he stated that : in particular, you seem to urge your spectatorship to challenge their perceptual categories to create
Women Cinemakers : how important is for you to trigger the viewers' perceptual categories in order to address them to elaborate ? Very important and I appreciate your understanding of this part of how I work. I mean what is ‘reality’. I think of my films more like music in that it should evoke a understanding, feeling or experience.I work in an open ended, intuative but purposeful way. Experimental film can bridge that gap between response, thought and constructed language. Sound plays an important role in your video and we have appreciated the way the minimalistic and refined soundtrack provides the footage
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Women Cinemakers of with such an and a bit as well as the way you have sapiently structured the combination between and : how do you see ? That was so happenstance, all the sound is the actual sound used from the film but just takes on a different quality when slowed or quickened. When I was making it, I was thrilled to discover it did actual ‘work’ with the images. I particularly like, in the Judy Garland piece when she is speeded up, she seems angry and frustrated. It does seem to bring emotionality to the piece. We have appreciated the originality of your approach and before leaving this conversation we want to catch this occasion to ask you to express your
Women Cinemakers view on the future of women in contemporary art scene. For more than half a century women have been discouraged from producing something ' ', however in the last decades there are signs that something is changing. How would you describe your personal experience as an unconventional artist? And what's your view on the future of women in this field? It has been hard in the past, I am now 66 and women artists when I first went to art school were either marginalised or mimicked ‘male art’.We have lots to discover, thats whats so exiting about being a women artist now. We have lots of ‘stories’ to tell and for me (my generation in particular) revisit and retell. Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Chrissie. Finally, would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects? How do you see your work evolving? My next film piece was inspired by a lovely, small painting in the Marlene Dumas exhibition of a mermaid. I found some interesting film on the internet about ‘fake’ mermaid sitings and want to use this as a basis. I am not sure where it will go at present, it may even be an installation but your interest has inspired me, so many thanks. An interview by Francis L. Quettier and Dora S. Tennant [email protected]