Women Cinemakers
Women Cinemakers
Women Cinemakers Since Gian became the main flaneur and city-scape was a spin-off that has no acknowledgment of what preceded it, he has been more involved with the conceptual process of our work, rather than being merely a visual talent who dances through space in front of the camera. Between the two of us, he is always on the lookout for art spaces and exhibitions that are thematically suitable for cityscape. Featuring gorgeous cinematography and keen eye to details, each shot of is carefully orchestrated with a verité-style, to work within the overall structure: what were your when shooting and conceiving the chreography? I'm very flattered that you see it that way. Thank you. It means a lot. I definitely wanted to shoot in black and white because I have always loved the aesthetics of both film and photography in black and white. French New Wave cinema also happened to be in black and white. And it's an aesthetic that works best with a flaneur in the picture. It's also an aesthetic that is very unlike our local predisposition to colour, which can range from arid saleability of goods to heightened levels of eyesore tantamount to the promotion of tourism culture. Anything done in black and white is considered aesthetically "old" or unsellable in this tedious, market-driven society. That said, I have the penchant for the old, and having learned black and white photography as a hobby many years ago (before SLRs were even digital), it's an artistic preference or sensibility that stuck with me over time. I wanted to relate this seemingly "old" aesthetic with being in the current moment, in the "now". And monochrome has a way of masking the the urban environment itself. Our city then becomes cloaked in anywhere-ness, making the sense of place and displacement within our given space a simultaneous tension. Amidst the tension is a semblance of joy or hope that can be read through the flaneur's body language, in spite of the seriousness he projects as he dances his way around the given spaces. With the dance itself, the movements are free and are entirely based on what Gian is feeling at the moment. I actually don't come from a background of dance as performance, so I'm no choreographer, either. I pretty much follow the flaneur around with a camera and "frame his feelings" on the basis of his movements as best as I could. Every take is never similar, and there is no rehearsal or repetition. At most, there is an initial take wherein Gian is "warming up" before the succeeding takes. Whether the footage gets used or not depends on how I edit. Whatever I shoot is nonlinear; likewise with the editing. interview
Women Cinemakers I think the most evident would be the lack of soundtrack to the performance itself. The muted silence that pervades in both city-scape n°1 and n°3 was a conscious decision that also worked with my limitations with the artistry of sound. I did not want to dictate the mood of the city and performance with music, no matter how disconcerting it can get with the experimental side of classical music. I also shot city-scape without music in mind, either. Initially, Gian had been dancing in relation to another flaneur with more of a basis for his identity whilst running the risk of eclipsing the depths of spatial discourse per se. With city-scape n°1, only Gian's flaneur bounces off the city itself, and his sense of identity is formed in relation to its contextual layers. With city-scape n°2, however, I managed to listen to the footage with sound and decided to keep it. Like I said, am no sound artist, but I decided to fiddle around with it by splicing the sound together, with a bit of layering involved. I increased the volume to intensify the mystery of its actual source. The flaneur has a short path and a wall to manoeuvre his way around, and while the mystery resides with the sound, so does the mystery involving what's on the other side of the wall. He does his dance within the confines of private space, one that involves exclusivity where not everyone can gain access to. The sound source is beyond that space, which actually comes from outside the frame, or over the wall, which is a more public realm - hence, the divide between private and public space. cityscape n°3 was all about incorporating a robotic cadence to Gian's free form of dance. It helped that we shot it in a continuously developing city that makes people feel like their souls are being sucked out of them, perhaps because this global expansion did not have most of the Filipino population in mind, especially those who seek a space for leisure. Our personal perceptions of this particular city inspired the form. While the takes were done in one evening, it took a bit of time for me to edit, not only because of the new demands of single motherhood on my part, but it was also painful to watch again and again. I guess the deadening feeling of the city somehow lingered in the footage. has drawn heavily from of the city of Manila and we have highly appreciated the way you have created such insightful between space and movement: how did you select the locations and how did they affect your shooting process? For city-scape n°1, I picked a neighbourhood café at Salcedo Village, which is in the city of Makati, that I myself would frequent and would always sit at the interview
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A still from
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I didn't want to think too long and hard about having him do a production number of sorts at the terrace without the waitstaff thinking I was going nuts filming it, but since other gestures had initially been done with his hands on the table, I guess it was only a matter of time to zero in on those made with his feet while he hovered over the terrace to observe the passersby. I wanted it to feel natural as well, and in a public space obsessed with permits, I wanted to get away with the momentary artistry-in-progress. Surprisingly, the street scenes were met without much difficulty. A vacant parking lot en route to the park gave us the luxury of space to explore how Gian's unchoreographed dance movements could be captured on video. I had to keep up with his pace, since he propelled himself forward pretty fast. And there I was, behind the camera, doing a little unwitnessed dance and leaping of my own. I did the first city-scape in 3 takes - all nighttime shoots - one of which coincided with an event in the park. My spontaneous background cast added to the video's charm - a kid on a scooter must have passed Gian twice. Also, while he strutted on a sidewalk like he was on a fashion runway, a small troop of night riding Vespas appeared from behind. Admittedly, that felt very French New Wave, without really having to try. It felt wonderful to have elements of the neighbourhood emerge in the video without going out of my way to negotiate them, since I was aiming for things to unfold naturally. The main priority was the dance, after all. I think Gian felt comfortable right away with all this space to work with. There was a slightly rough quality to his performance, especially with all that spinning around, but he would slow down with a graceful finish. I also picked this neighbourhood location because of the multicultural/expatriate presence that is reminiscent of First World Asian cities like Hong Kong and Singapore. In a creative environment that feels the need to assert itself by re/claiming what is Filipino, which gets tiring after a while, I felt that the opposite could be said about my choice of intellectual and cultural habitat. I am home, I feel at home - and at times I do not - and yet current trends in architecture and interior design do not scream of local identity. As a traveler, I also have, to some extent, felt at "home" in other multicultural cities. Even if the Filipino cannot be taken out of me or Gian for that matter, we can always play up the fantasy that we could be whoever and whatever we want to be, given the anonymity of traveling bodies. But using this residential hub of Salcedo Village - which is populated by condos and boutique hotels (as well as cultural libraries, banks and BPOs) - as a stand-in for another multicultural city heightens the fantasy that we could be anywhere, even if we happen to be from a Third World city. The cosmopolitan disguise, after all, is not so apparent, even with the seemingly non-evidence of its contextual baggage. city-scape n°2 was shot inside the area where I live. It is a "gated" community, also in Makati, that only residents can access. For reasons of privacy, I won't say where, but as it is, there are several villages within Makati that operate as "gated" communities. The village association issues stickers to residents on a yearly basis for all-access entry to the village gates, located in strategic points, which are strictly monitored by security. Because of where these gates are strategically located within access to areas of the city, one of the known perks of residing in the village is avoiding traffic, which tends to bottleneck outside. Driving through inside can get a resident from Point A to Point B with ease, while those without access deal with the horrible traffic outside. This explains why over the wall where Gian dances on the short path, you can hear a lot of cars outside. Cars do pass inside, but not with the kind of volume and intensity of how much traffic is generated as the public space outside, except perhaps during the rush hour. Inside, the streets are quite still. We just wanted a wall to work with. We also have to respect private property by not shooting in front of houses, but that was not the real reason why we chose the wall. It was for Gian to be given a quiet space to interact with, to bounce off from. It just so happened that the sounds coming
Women Cinemakers from the public (cars) and the private (audible voices) realm had a way of intersecting the space Gian dances in. These are things we don't pay attention to during the shoot itself, but during post-prod, I came to the realisation that the sound itself became an integral part of the discourse. The location for city-scape n°3 is a continuously developing city that was built over a restricted area called Fort Bonifacio which was mainly military housing. Military families had to evacuate the area eventually because the houses would be bulldozed to accommodate a highway. I'm not too certain if that area really became the main highway known as C5 because it seemed too far in its proximity. I did have a childhood friend who lived in that neighbourhood because her father was in the military, and I tried to map out in my mind's eye the ghost of its past - the row of houses from where she grew up - by looking at the view from a window of a (then newly built) high-rise condo. Currently, this area is populated by high-rise condos and buildings, international schools, various areas with shops and restaurants and a few kid-friendly spaces and has since been called The Fort, or Bonifacio Global City, which is in the elegant part of Taguig. The Fort often gets mistaken as Makati territory when it is actually at the border. These spaces are suitable more for its residents than anybody else. People who work in the area can't even afford to dine in the nice restaurants. I find myself there a few times a week and I have to brace myself for spending a huge chunk of my time stuck in traffic or looking for parking, and those who make money off parking lots really don't want you to stay long. It's the last place where I would consider spending long hours having coffee because parking would cost more than my cup of joe. In spite of the life these developers want to inject into these spaces of leisure, with the pretence that it is for the public to enjoy. It's tempting to ask: for whom are these spaces for? I actually was a resident of one of those high-rise condos at one point, and if this was supposed to be "home", then why was I not feeling at home? It had its relative comforts, sure, and no one can just barge into the condo unannounced, either. But I personally felt like I was in a cold and soulless environment, even within the walls of condo living. I remember the night of the shoot itself. Gian and I didn't have a definite location in mind. We parked near a new mall and walked until we found a spot near a home depot. We knew we were aiming for the robotic feeling without ever having a big discussion about it. Apparently, Gian felt it, too, and he never had to live in the area to experience this soul-sucking vibe. While there were 24-hour cafés and restaurants as well as a soccer field that surround the home depot, we focused on the home depot because there was a charm in using a backdrop outside of business hours. In spite of the bustling life around it, which we tried as much as possible to leave out, the city was as lifeless as the home depot's "off hours". I guess it became an apt analogy to convey our emotions surrounding this "dead" city. A crucial aspect of your artistic inquiry is centered on and as you have remarked once explores : how does from daily life address you to explore such theme? In particular, do you think that such constant shifts come from the inner self or it is a consequence of the from the outside world? I think the reality wherein I live near spaces in the city that are rendered safe supplies the material for city-scape. Developers are always building something new, and they are always trying to keep up with global architectural trends. I think the buildings that have defined us culturally have been historically associated with Marcosian architecture, which the public politically prefer to shun. So there goes the political divide when it comes to our local art and culture because of all associations with martial law of the seventies up to the eighties, and even if they are still around and very much active, the structures are tainted with historical meaning and little care now is given to their exteriors. New high-rise buildings are associated with big names in global architecture, but that knowledge is only important to those who care. It does not speak much for our cultural identity - only that you need to have the money to be able to buy a condo. Obviously, there are also restrictions given to us because there are less public spaces outside of malls for us to enjoy. The malls get crowded because there are no other spaces of leisure. Our cultural identity must have gone to mall architecture, come to think of it. Mall architecture or not, there always seems to be foreign prototypes for these developing spaces. If I travel to a neighbouring First World Asian City for a few days and choose to stay in only one area - like a
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Women Cinemakers shopping destination populated by tourists - and come back home, it would only feel like I never really left because things are starting to feel all too familiar. (Maybe it's because a lot of the tourists who want to shop are also Filipino, and I also see them here in my hometown.) Perhaps we have levelled up in terms of aesthetics, especially where cosmopolitan spaces are concerned, but that's where it really begins and ends. (Don't get me started on the existing traffic schemes, though this is already outside of city-scape territory.) I would say that I don't allow pressure from the outside world, because that would be succumbing to cultural shame. Truth be told, I don't feel shameful at all about projecting an identity that is neither here nor there, that seems like it's always elsewhere because it's as much of a reality as it is a fantasy. Of course, this may not apply to Filipinos in general - just those who feel they could be more and do more with either our existing spaces, or maybe elsewhere. Yes, there is that fantasy of flight, too. But by being here in Manila, at times with the feeling of being stuck and stifled by the environment, we try to make the most out of a "city that escapes". I guess the constant shifts from the inner self apply more here, and it also entails facing our true feelings about the city. It can be depressing, regardless of its perks and relative comforts. Trying to be brave about taking my camera out at night is also part the whole thematic exploration process as well as a testing ground for safety. I always felt that the negative elements of the city held me back creatively, and I would always feel conscious about bringing an SLR or DSLR around. We have been impressed with of and we daresay that your practice seems to reflect German photographer Andreas Gursky's quote, when he stated that It seems that you aim to address the viewers in order to unveil the hidden layers beneath that which is visible: you particularly interested in structuring your work in order to urge the viewers to elaborate ? You could say that. I'm actually happy that the city-scape trilogy has found audiences that look for those not-so-visible layers beyond the mere dismissal of Eurocentric whitewashing of a dandy Filipino male fulfilling his Francophile fantasy on video. Though it does run the risk of the latter interview
provocations, and I know that It would be beyond my control as well as Gian's. However, the provocations could be a huge part of the discourse, too, and it could lead to even more questions...but what if that's how he chooses to dress and present himself on a daily basis, in real life? Does it necessarily erase his identity? Does it make him less of a Filipino? Where is he, anyway? Is this the Philippines? A city in Manila? It looks like he could be in a foreign city. I'm not sure how the thought processes of our viewers operate, but I would imagine that it could be something like that, upon first look. I think what would make all the difference is the knowledge of, or acknowledgment of, gazes that are both female and queer. But I know that insights are always different across cultures and sometimes, the feedback can be something that actually never occurred to me before. Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco once stated, " ": as an artist particularly interested in , how do you consider the role of artist in our unstable and globalised contemporary age? In particular, does your artistic research respond to ? I think this instability stems from living with inner - and perhaps even outer (in terms of how artists choose to physically, or even visually, represent themselves to the world) - contradictions of identity, race, sexuality, gender and class and finding ways to reconcile these intersections, no matter how conflicted artists are, through artistic practice. We can already think along the lines of how we represent ourselves to the world not only because of the Internet and social media, but also in our engagement with contemporary art and its direction towards the global. There is a social aspect to contemporary art wherein we are encouraged to jump into existing conversations in art. Otherwise, you and I would not be having this conversation in the first place. I have also been doing a similar kind of global exchange with zinesters from other parts of the world, and it looks like there is a precedent to my travelling video because my own zines have done their share of travelling, too, and finding their audience. Zines also encourage conversation on shared ideas and materiality. I'm actually not aware of whether my work responds to particular cultural moments. I just produce, and they may or may not resonate with the times. I guess I'm better at being in-step with a cultural moment rather than having Women Cinemakers interview
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to come up with a direct response to one. If anything, I have the tendency to respond to what is lacking in my area of artistic research. also valorizes , so before leaving this conversation we want to catch this occasion to ask you to express your 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 interdisciplinary field? I've always stood by my work, no matter how unpopular, or whether it gets critiques for coming from a perspective and position of privilege. And it has not at all discouraged me from making art in whatever form. I march to the beat of my own drum and am more often than not sure of what I want to do, at least creatively. In terms of "seeking" audiences who may be interested in my craft, I don't like limiting myself to local audiences because they don't always get where I'm coming from. I also feel that while promoting my work is important, I'm the worst self-promoter ever. Or at least I try to manage my expectations when it comes to getting my work out there. Though I like the idea of my own work finding its audience where I least expect it. I think women who have who have strong inclination to produce work within the contemporary art scene will continue to do so, no matter how unconventional the approach. It's encouraging to see a lot of local women artists producing provocative art throughout the years, working with mixed media and installation with something very meaningful to say, whether they come from a strong feminist standpoint or not, as long as the female gaze is there - or that element of challenging spectatorship. Some have also played on environmental themes that are well thought out and, to an extent, delve Into the exploration of women's bodies in the process. The works of Filipina artists are worthy of representation within the international art world, and they do seize the opportunities to travel in order to share and impart their passions for artistic practice. Their work can also travel without them, especially if they have gallery representation. Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Claire. Finally, would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects? How do you see your work evolving? The pleasure is mine. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to discuss the city-scape trilogy and everything in relation to it. Your questions helped me feel more attuned to the experiences of making city-scape happen. Most definitely, Gian and I plan to expand the trilogy by either exploring comfort zones that are nearer and dearer to him - since we had started off with my safe space - or just venture outside of these comfort zones altogether. I think the braver we get, the more we get to challenge our notions of space and place. I read a thesis online on the flaneur in French New Wave cinema, and apparently, flaneuring can be applied to city driving as well. I do a lot of city driving myself, and it would be interesting to be filmed while driving this long stretch, cutting across cities within the national capital region. An obvious evolution here would be to "come out" from behind the camera and to discuss the contextual flaneuse for a change. I also want to do something along the lines of framing single motherhood and plunging into it in my early forties, but I have not sorted out the medium or digital format for it. Apart from my work with video, am very much involved with the print medium. I have been making zines on-and-off since 1999, and while I have focused on writing for the most part, I have been more inclined towards the visual. I have been producing straight to paper ink drawings using my toddler's favourite pages from his storybooks as reference material. I find this process cathartic because drawing relaxes me, probably because I am so used to thinking and beating myself over what to write with alarming regularity. I dubbed this fan art a "visual mixtape", with about 16 pages of my storybook renditions in ink reproduced on coloured paper and cut into loose leaf sheets that are meant to be scattered. While there was an obvious basis for selecting my son's favourite pages, each were hand-drawn with the care that is placed in curating a mixtape for a special friend, one that takes time and a lot of love. Women Cinemakers
Hello Anna and welcome to : we would like to introduce you to our readers with a couple of questions regarding your background. You have a solid formal training and you graduated An interview by Francis L. Quettier and Dora S. Tennant [email protected] with a BA in Dance, that you received from the State School of Dance in Athens: you also attended intensive courses in Contemporary and Modern Dance, as well as Classical ballet and Choreography: how did these experiences influence the interdisciplinary nature of your creative process? Morever, how does your due to your Greek roots and Anna Athanasiou Women Cinemakers meets Lives and works in Berlin, Germany “Captiva” is a brief story of acceptance. Searching for love is a journey full of self-exploration, new experiences and acquaintances. My darkest thoughts, fears and insecurities can become formidable obstacles in my path and create forced restrictions. Using the BDSM culture as an allegory and being especially inspired by the Japanese Shibari bondage technique, I find absolute freedom by having my body immobilized. This vulnerability, the exposure and the complete submission turn into a mentally liberating sensation. However, love lies within self acceptance and beyond limitations. Anna Athanasiou is a Greek dance artist based in Berlin. She is using her art, her body and her imagination as tools to express her world. Throughout her career she has found herself in different stages of production and creation. She equally enjoys being a dancer at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, a choreographer at the European Games in Baku and other independent productions, a professional dance educator and actually an artist, who's aim is to create a multidisciplinary artistic language. “Captiva” is her first short film conception as a producer, director and performer on screen.
Women Cinemakers its releationship with your current life in Berlin direct the trajectory of your artistic research? Hello and thank you very much for including me and my short film in this issue of . Yes, I do have a solid dance background, but my curiosity has opened many other artistic doors and I am glad to consider myself as an artist, beyond specification or specialization only in the dance field. Throughout my education years I studied History of Art and History of Music. This way my horizons were expanded and my mind was given the ingredients it needed to create images that did not necessarily focus only on dance. Later on, I started working with various artists, directors and choreographers who have diverse backgrounds, which contributed to my knowledge and added to my palette of inspiration. Using stage lights, experimenting with colors or simply choosing music for my works has become more of a natural habit rather than an effort. I have so many different references and the more I work as an artist, the more I care about details and the meaning behind them. The core of my interdisciplinary work. Being born in Athens, a city with such enormous cultural heritage, has definitely sculpted my aesthetics. Moreover, my father Petros Athanasiou who is also an artist, introduced me to Greek mythology and history, two of his favorite inspirational themes. So, I was exposed to them from an early age and I still recognize this influence in my visions. Moving to Berlin was and still is an eye-opening experience, I swim in a sea full of mixed cultures and I am lucky to meet so many other artists. Contemporary art and other modern influences, cultures and artistic movements have each given me an element to be inspired by. I guess the Athenian spirit is the base and everything else fell on top of it to create this interesting mixture that is living in me and forms my creativity. For this special edition of we have selected , an extremely interesting dance short film that our readers have already started to get to know in the introductory pages of this article. What has at once captured our attention of your insightful inquiry into is the way it hightlights , to invite the viewers to a captivating and multilayered visual experience: when walking our readers through the genesis of , would you tell us how did you develop the initial idea? The original idea of came to me after participating in a Japanese Shibary Bondage workshop in Berlin. In the beginning it wasn't shaped completely, but this experience was very intense, clearly something in me was shook. Weeks after, I slowly started unraveling this puzzled feeling. There was a great contrast between the feeling of freedom I noticed and the fact that I was completely immobilized by the Shibari ropes. It intrigued my imagination and made me question my personal behaviors. I started thinking
of an allegory based on this contradiction, a story that would show my personal journey. The boundaries and the patterns I had developed, certainly gave me a sense of freedom and control, but the truth was that they only held me back. I had to demolish these walls and let go of these ideas in order to let my true self be revealed and to start to connect substantially and fundamentally with me and other people. This meaningful connection and love, this self-exploration journey is the idea behind my short film. We have appreciated the way your approach to choreography conveys and at the same time reflects rigorous approach to the grammar of body language: how do you consider the relationship between the necessity of scheduling the details of your performative gestures and ? How much importance does play in your process? Choreography could be created based on fixed ideas and kinetic material as well as improvisational techniques and spontaneity. I don't chose by default either the first or the second method, personally I enjoy both and most of the times I use these tools equally. Both are valuable procedures. Depending on the occasion and the subject, when I am at the studio and I have a certain idea I want to work on, I make sure there is always room for fresh input or another view. It is important to me to concentrate on a subject and explore as many aspects of it as I can, but I try as much as possible to stay open to potential changes. It is a long process and it usually takes time, but I have to admit that usually the best outcome happens when I am challenged with the unknown. Improvisation provides me with this element of surprise and it pushes me further in understanding my initial idea. For this film, I already had in mind some of the choreography and the shots I wanted to have, I had visualized the skeleton of . During the shooting many other scenes happened impromptu. It wasn't until later, while editing, when I realized the importance of these scenes and how much I learned by “playing around” at the studio. Rich with allegorical qualities, uses BDSM culture and more specifically Japanese Shibari bondage technique to explore the relationship between and : how did you come up to the idea of combining such apparently opposites concept? Moreover, how important was for you to make , about a theme that you know a lot about? With the Shibari bondage technique one is basically tighten up with special ropes, there is no possibility to move the arms or legs and some times one can even be suspended from a height. While experimenting with the ropes I have come to realize that I have to let go of all control in order to avoid this panicking feeling that quickly takes over my mind. I have to give in to this lack of mobility which for me – being a dancer - is a very difficult task. It makes me uncomfortable and vulnerable Women Cinemakers
Women Cinemakers and it brings at the same time a powerful sensation of freedom. Letting go in a safe environment forces a calm and soothing feeling in every cell of my body and it brings me mentally in almost a meditative state. The calmness under these circumstances was a personal revelation since the first time I tried it. How vulnerability can be strength. Although it is a personal experience, it feels universal, that is why I decided to communicate it with others and with an audience. This film is about a human experience which to me occurred after taking part in a workshop, but to others could appear in other ways. I believe that all ideas come from within us, from our point of view and our paths and I am no different from all the other artists who want to share their truth and vision. Inspiration can come from what we see, what we feel, what we hear and if it speaks to our hearts, then it is worth exploring. In you sapiently mix realism of choreographic gestures with surreal qualities of the ambience, and we have appreciated the way such coherent combination addresses your audience to a multilayered experience. Austrian historian Ernst Gombrich once remarked the importance of providing a space for the vaudience to project onto, so that they can in the creation of the illusion: how much important is for you to trigger the viewer's imagination in order to address them to elaborate ? In particular, how open would you like your works to be understood? We don't always understand an art piece or an artistic expression and I believe that this is mostly happening because we cannot relate to it. Art perception is purely
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Women Cinemakers objective and so many contradicting factors contribute to forming it, our lives, our character, our past, our upbringing, the way we sense the world etc. An artistic point could and should be explained, but I don't think that its purpose is to always be accepted or understood. As artists, we are given a platform and an alternative means to communicate. With my work I am offering a piece of me and in return I might have the chance to speak to the audience, to move them emotionally, to open a discussion. Of course I appreciate being understood, but I might as well not be, as in any conversation. On the other hand, I do also appreciate as a viewer and as a creator, the mystery and vagueness of art. I value art that speaks to the heart, without having to be explained every thoroughly. I think this gives the artists the respect and freedom to make their point and at the same time it is offering the audience space to connect and feel more related to it. So, yes I too agree that an explanation is needed to a certain extend as it would an argument in a conversation. The audience's view would be the next argument thrown into this conversation. Many artists express the ideas that they explore through representations of the body and by using their own bodies in their creative processes. German visual artist Gerhard Richter once underlined that " ": how do you consider the relation between of the ideas you aim to communicate and of creating your artworks?
Women Cinemakers There are surely many different approaches to that and endless ways of expressing your ideas. Creating demands that you put part of you, a part of your soul into the process and the final result and that already makes it less abstract, even though the idea behind it could be. I need to have the mental and physical connection in order to understand a situation and translate it. I am nevertheless a professional dancer and I have chosen to express emotions and thoughts through my body and through movement. It inevitably adds to my need and intention of having my own physical way. It just comes naturally to me. Once I connect my intellect and physical self, the bond is unbreakable. Afterwards, it is only a matter of hard work and organizing, so that this personal journey can be molded into an art piece. Sound plays an important role in your film and we have appreciated the way it provides its footage with such an : how did you create such captivating soundtrack? And how do you see ? I am very lucky to be surrounded by other artists in my life, people who share similar passion for art as me, each one on their chosen field. Many of them are musicians. This film would have never happened without the incredible help of a bunch of friends: Arthur Pegis (music), Emmanuel Levedianos (camera) and Orestis Chatzitheodorou (editing) and Adonis Vais. These people believed in my project and offered their
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Women Cinemakers artistry without a second thought. Arthur is a great musician so, knowing his work and his aesthetics, I trusted that he could capture the ambience I needed for this film. We recorded part of the soundtrack together and then he managed to create an extraordinary and haunting atmosphere based on the video material I had. Eventually, while editing , Orestis refined and combined the audio and visual elements, which depend on each other extremely. I am not a musician but I was always drawn to music and soundscapes. The mystery, the complexity, even their technical aspects are alluring me. Dance and sound blend naturally together, because their common ground is the rhythm. Obviously, you can dance without music and you can create music with your body. But when they are combined an intense experience emerges. One is challenging and simultaneously is supporting the other. Music moves me, enters my body and sends a vibration throughout my skin and bones, it has an instant impact to me. In my body of work, sound is playing a significant role, it is ultimately part of my life, there cannot be a separation or distinction from what I do and I am happy to have it in my professional life on a daily basis. For example, one of my favorite rehearsals in the Deutsche Oper is the first rehearsal on stage with the orchestra. Live music overflows my ears and this brings an incomparable and fulfilling encounter. I feel truly thankful for that. Over the years you have participated in numerous
Women Cinemakers productions in the Deutsche Oper Berlin as a member of the Opernballett and you also participated in many dancing projects and other experimental Dance Theater productions in Germany and Greece: how important is for your the feedback of the festival circuit? Do you consider as being a crucial component of your decision-making process? It is important to me to be part of the festival circuit, because it is a space to be yourself and to share your work with the rest of the artistic community. It is not easy being an artist in our society and it is still remarkable that we are able to continue pursuing our dreams, so having your work shown at festivals it is a big deal. We should be open to share our work and to listen to some feedback, because it improves and carves our personalities and vision. We all like to be liked and well-reviewed, but my creations are deriving from a personal need, an inner voice and a necessity that has nothing to do with other people's opinion about it. I can only wish that my work will be accepted, but I cannot control that and it is definitely not in my mind during the creation or rehearsals. I believe that each of us has so much to offer and we might be lucky enough to find our audience. I am trying to keep this as a reminder to myself, that I should keep on making despite the obstacles or the perception, in the end it is my duty to myself. We have relly appreciated the originality of your artistic research and before leaving this conversation we want to catch this occasion to ask you to express
Women Cinemakers your 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 interdisciplinary field? I am glad to be discussing this subject more and more openly, even though equality, feminism and the woman's place in the society is just a trend topic for some people nowadays. Although we have come a long way as women and as society, these are still matters that are on the table, so there is a long way to go ahead of us and I hope that this dialogue will take us further. I have been mostly inspired by women artists in my life and the more I understand this field and this business, the more I admire them for overcoming colossal obstacles and for their dedication to their art, regardless of all the pressure. It is very hard to describe the struggle if you have never been in the position of being a woman in the art world. Unfortunately, I have heard various examples and comments by people – men and women - who don't understand that dance is an art form and it can also be a profession, not only a hobby or a way to have fun. I never let those comments discourage me, because I don't feel that I have to justify myself to these people. And that has been the most harmless to me of the troubles. I did not choose to be a dancer and an artist over another career,
there is just no other way for me to live and I expect, at least, that this should be respected. For the future I just wish that there will be equality and to need to divide women's from men's art. I don't believe women should do something differently, we carry on working and pushing boundaries. Artists should keep on creating, challenging and changing the wold in their way. It is our responsibility as humans, as generation and as society to move past these divisions, to create a world where art would be a universal language and it's worth won't be reduced by social gender categorization. Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Anna. Finally, would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects? How do you see your work evolving? Since we are living in fragile times with several political and social changes, I humbly wish that I can continue living and working as an artist. The last years my focus has shifted and now I indulge more and more into creating, although performing is still my passion. I am eager to explore the possibilities of this interdisciplinary field, which provides numerous tools to play with. My goal is to find ways to combine all my artistic expressions and I am open to see where this adventure will take me. Choreography and dance will certainly be the fuel to my engine, while image, video and music will play an equally essential role to complete my view. Women Cinemakers
Hello and welcome to : we would invite our readers to visit in order to get a wide idea about your multifaceted artistic An interview by Francis L. Quettier and Dora S. Tennant [email protected] production and we would start this interview with a couple of questions regarding your background. Are there any experiences that did particularly influence your evolution as an artist? In particular, how does your direct the trajectory of your artistic research? I have always been an artist of one sort or another. I was predominantly a performance dance artist Poppet Portraits Women Cinemakers meets Lives and works in East Lothian, Scotland I am a portrait artist. I work in abstract:conceptual form using mixed media. My preferred method is to keep things as basic in form and apparatus as possible. I portray portraits that show the reactions of others to me, the artist. I metamorphose this reaction into abstract:conceptual form. These portraits are imbued with intrigue because the images are so abstract and conceptual that the person’s identity cannot be discovered. Sometimes I choose to show identity. In these portraits I portray the person’s reaction to me the artist as an abstract:conceptual alter ego. I also portray portraits of me as artist. My portraits are non-didactic artistic discussions, on the artist, on the other person’s reactions and on art itself.
Women Cinemakers throughout my childhood. From age four, I learned to define myself as an artist by distinguishing between following someone else’s choreography and moving my feet in another direction. I wasn’t ever very good at following other’s choreography, my mind would wander off and I’d forget whatever it was I was supposed to be doing and do something else. I did, however, have one ‘moment’ as a choreographed ballet dancer when I won the Northumbrian Junior Ballet Champion competition. As an adult, I moved to Rome for two years and whilst there I turned to portraiture, not just of myself but also others. I used prose and I put together my first art narrative, which I don’t think I ever named properly and, actually, I think I’ve lost it, but never mind! On returning to Scotland, I began to both paint and write a collection of short art narratives, ’60 Fragments’. More recently I have written several other art narratives that also incorporate drawings. My first series of painted and mixed media portraits is ‘Shards’. During the later years producing this series I began to film myself painting some of the portraits. I did this because I like to discuss the possibility of the separation of the artist from the other person in the portrait. I often like to have my family, usually as voices, in these portraits. So, I use a multidisciplinary approach to portaiture based on my life experiences in the arts and on my knowledge building of art history that I have accumulated through
Women Cinemakers living in places relevant throughout art history, especially Rome and Provence, and through researching the works of other artists. For this special edition of we have selected , an extremely interesting performance video that our readers have already started to get to know in the introductory pages of this article and that can be viewed at . What has at once captured our attention of your insightful inquiry into is the way you have provided the results of your artistic research with such refined aesthetic, inviting the viewers to such a experience: when walking our readers through of , would you tell us how did you develop the initial idea? ‘Washout’ is a portrait comprising five main references; movement, static, time, nature and ‘others’. In ‘Wash Out’ I am discussing the ambivalence of the separation between ‘The Washer’ and ‘The Washed’. I also question which of the five references is the most dominant piece, whether ‘The Washer’ as the moving piece in the portrait is the most dominant reference, more so than ‘The Washed’ the most static piece, or, whether the elongation of time by doubling the washing process becomes the dominant reference, or, whether the natural environment with its multiple references is dominant, or, whether the activity of ‘The Other’s’ is dominant. The portrait manifested as a concept after I attended a figure drawing class at the National Gallery of Scotland. I was thinking about how I use ‘realist’ figures as abstract:conceptual references. How I go about showing myself or others as an apparently ‘real’ form but with abstract:conceptual references that dominate the ‘realism’. I created possible dominance for all five references. For the ‘real’ reference, ‘The Washer’ I used clothing and shoes and accessories. I created dominance for the ‘alter ego’ reference, ‘The Washed’ by using art supplies, hardware and the stone wall. For the reference to time I used repetition and slowness of activity. For the reference to environment I chose to film with high contrast light and shade, wind noise and bird noise. For ‘The Others’ I didn’t tell them what I was about to film so as not to direct a response. We have appreciated the way your approach to performance conveys sense of freedom and reflects rigorous approach to : how do you consider the relationship between the necessity of scheduling the details of your performative gestures and ? How importance does
Women Cinemakers play in your process? I had already thought through how I wanted the ‘real’ reference, ‘The Washer’ to appear in the portrait. I decided to show the ‘real’ reference, ‘The Washer’, when painting the name of the ‘alter ego’ reference, ‘The Washed’ as ‘Poppet’, when filling the glass jugs with water from the hose pipe and when finishing the cleaning process. I decided to remove the ‘real’ reference, ‘The Washer’ from the portrait when throwing the jugs of water at the ‘alter ego’ reference, ‘The Washed’, to wash the ‘alter ego’ reference as ‘Poppet’ off the glass sheet. Filming wasn’t scheduled. I was in the garden and I decided the natural environment had all the appropriate emphases I thought would provide the necessary dominace to make the environment a competing reference in the portrait. So, I brought out a tripod and camera and the glass jugs, switched on the camera and began the portrait. It took one take. I was lucky things worked out and the result was the set of five competing references I wanted to portray. Regarding improvisation, I’d decide a portrait was finished even if I had to improvise during the production, provided it didn’t affect the references in the portrait. How importantis the evokative power of symbols and metaphors in your practice? In particular, are you interested in creating an capable of reflecting human condition in a general sense? I usually reference the artist, the ‘others’ and the discussions on art in my portraits. I do this using symbols and metaphors. Symbols are widely used in everyday life, often they are used as warning signs to prevent people from coming into danger. I like to transfer this sort of language into my portraits and I sometimes use abstract or realist shapes, colours, words, noises, symbolically. The use of symbols in art can allow the opening of conceptual space where the viewer can interpret the symbol as he/she/they wish. I use metaphors to increase the clarity of the portrait, to sharpen the image of the reaction to the artist that I am portraying. The titles I give the portraits are often metaphorically ‘sharpening’. ‘Wash Out’ is a metaphorical ‘sharpener’ in that it gives emphasis to the ‘alter ego’ reference, ‘The