V I D E O . K I L L E D . T H E . R A D I O . S T A R
Friday, February 4, 2011 at 4:06PM
B E H I N D T H E S C E N E S : V I D E O A R T P I E C E
B E T T Y B I G A S . D I R E C T O R
R A C H E L Z N E R O L D . E R I N D U D L E Y
J E R E M Y T E R E S A L E W I S . J U L I A R U S S O T T I
I R I S A N E A S
I've never worked on a video performance art piece before, so you can imagine my excitement to branch out and do something other than straight forward beauty work. I was approached by Rachel Znerold, Fashion Designer and Painter extraordinaire, to do makeup and hair for the project. We had met at a networking group for creative women in San Francisco called Julie's Girls (formed by Julie Michelle of the i live here: SF series). Rachel and Video Artist, Betty Bigas, came up with the concept of coming alive through fabric and textiles, the subject of consumption, and breaking boundaries. Jeremy Teresa Lewis and Julia Russotti were also involved in the art direction as well as production, and a pleasure to work with. We shot the video in one afternoon at Public Works Gallery in the Mission District. Betty is also the curator of the show, Windows - Women Work, where the video will be shown. The exhibit at Public Works will feature established and emerging female artists from all different kinds of media including installation, sculpture, oil painting, video art, performance and photography.
The last few projects I've been involved with have allowed me to creatively try my hand at several points of collaboration, which I have mentioned in other posts. This particular piece was a pleasant surprise as I thought I'd only be doing the makeup and hair, but then it evolved into art direction and styling as well. Working with a small team has so many advantages when it comes to collective input and keeping it simple and focused.
I felt that the makeup shouldn't compete with the bright mix of colors and patterns, so I kept it muted with a conceptual edge, similar to Bjork or Goldfrapp, which coincided with the style of music it was set to. Barcelona's electronic pop artist, Iris Aneas, is the voice behind this production and think her music was a great choice. The hair definitely needed texture but also flexibility for versatile movement. Rachel has such beautiful, naturally wavy hair so I teased the ends and created a matte, nest like finish while smoothing out the crown and around her face for the headpieces we used. With materials from Rachel's studio, we slowly started to bind and attach her to the wall in a web of tulle, mesh, lace, draping, straps and zippers. I think that the idea of awakening to find yourself bound and trapped, discovering what you're made of, embracing it, and then breaking free is what I identified with and took away from the concept. I'm curious as to what others got from it and can't wait to hear feedback from whoever watches it.
This piece was so much fun, and has inspired me to pursue more projects involving art direction and conceptual work. The opening of Windows - Women Work is tonight from 7:00-10:30 pm at the Public Works Gallery. Come support female artists!
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