1.) What inspired you to make this piece?
“Wrapture” began with the ocean,
the abstract movement of the waves,
their power and randomness.
When I was ten years old I was caught in the undertow
and swam down instead of up.
My life passed before me in postcards.
But being only ten, there were so few cards, that I had time
to reconsider and find the way to the top!
Later I read a story
about
the rapture of the
deep -
the ecstasy one experiences when drowning.
All these endorphins kick in.
2.) Do you have any interesting/and or amusing behind-the-scenes stories
about the making of this particular work?
We did a performance at the
Not Still Art Festival and
I put
Vanessa Bley,
a wonderful singer/composer who happens to dance in this piece, on top of
a small bench and gave her a long wrap.
She could only bend and move her arms, but otherwise was fixed to the
spot.
This way the camera would create the movement and undulate like waves.
3.) What is the relationship between your work as a video/filmmaker
and life in the New York metropolitan area?
New York is life and death about art..
You do your best work here.
Everyone keeps track.
Sink or swim, it is an ecstatic experience to be a part of the scene.
4.) What films/videos and makers have inspired you or influenced your
work? And why?
I admire a number of video and computer artists, but I've been influenced
by
Aristotle's
"Poetics",
William S. Burroughs'
"Cut
Up Theory",
John
Cage's understanding that everything is permissible….plus the work
of great musicians like
Gary Peacock
and
Paul Bley, which shows
us that creativity is the act of improvisation.
5.) How would you define “independent” film and video today?
It is the best of times for making and the easiest of times for disseminating.
6) If viewers are interested in obtaining copies of
your work for rental or purchase, whom should they contact and at what
address and phone number?
Video Program: Wrapture 28:00
Distribution and licensing:
IMPROVART.COM
P.O. Box 496
Cherry Valley, NY 13320
iai 'at' improvart.com
7.) For your on-air introduction of your work, please tell us IN THREE
OR FOUR SIMPLE SENTENCES what your intentions were in making this piece
and/or what it is about. We will then get back to you with suggestions,
if necessary, and to arrange a taping date in early May. If you cannot
be here for the taping, we would like you to ask someone else affiliated
with your film to do the on-air intro. Also please note there is
a possibility that we will stream this on-air introduction on our website
as well.
“Wrapture “ is about letting go, drifting, succumbing to a force greater
than ones self. I’d like the viewers to feel that. I’d
also like them to enjoy the beauty and drama of the moving images
for their own sake – the way they enjoy music.
8) How would you like your title to read for your on-air
introduction and website? Director? Producer? Writer? Filmmaker?
Video Artist, etc.?
Director / Video Artist
