During the summer of 2012, Cam and I traveled to Paris, France for a residency. With trips through Spain, Morocco, and Germany, our goal was to visit and document some of the less celebrated art spaces and turn our observations into a short film. En route we produced an amalgamation of sketches, drawings, animations, and short videos. Initially I tried to script a narrative animation about the elusive nature of creativity, partially in response to the face of the blank wall at the residency. However, Cam was more interested in experimentation with the Super 8 and a few small set pieces.
Upon returning from the trip, we created a video that was screened as part of Audible Interruptions at C.A.M. St. Louis.
We filmed much of this trip using Super 8. As I reviewed the footage, it triggered my memory of that trip, much as a home movie. I became interested in the idea of how a sound, smell, or color could trigger a memory, create an idea of a place or be a disruption to the stream of conscience.
One thing I find appealing and disorienting about travel is the manner in which things are both recognizable and strange. For instance, I spent days mesmerized by the changing clouds, light, and sunsets from our room in Paris, and yet at night I’d dream about St. Louis. The landscapes became superimposed in my mind.
Place as Muse. While searching for inspiration, Cam literally drew a studio on our residency wall manifesting and becoming our studio practice. Meanwhile I became fascinated with the archetype of “the cave” after reading myths about the cave under the Alhambra in Spain and the catacombs in Paris, it felt strangely tied to St. Louis. The cave became similar to a vignette, window, a door, essentially a world within a world.
Upon returning from the trip, we created a video that was screened as part of Audible Interruptions at C.A.M. St. Louis.
We filmed much of this trip using Super 8. As I reviewed the footage, it triggered my memory of that trip, much as a home movie. I became interested in the idea of how a sound, smell, or color could trigger a memory, create an idea of a place or be a disruption to the stream of conscience.
One thing I find appealing and disorienting about travel is the manner in which things are both recognizable and strange. For instance, I spent days mesmerized by the changing clouds, light, and sunsets from our room in Paris, and yet at night I’d dream about St. Louis. The landscapes became superimposed in my mind.
Place as Muse. While searching for inspiration, Cam literally drew a studio on our residency wall manifesting and becoming our studio practice. Meanwhile I became fascinated with the archetype of “the cave” after reading myths about the cave under the Alhambra in Spain and the catacombs in Paris, it felt strangely tied to St. Louis. The cave became similar to a vignette, window, a door, essentially a world within a world.
