BHANU KAPIL

 

HUMANIMAL: A Project for Future Children | by: Bhanu Kapil

I read this book of prose through Kindle on my iPhone on the 5 hr. flight form Oregon to Atlanta & then NYC. It was by far one of the most creatively moving works I have ever read, so intensely gripping I had to look up and remind myself where I was and that I was reading a text. Fellow Caldera AiR Beth Loffreda referred me this text and now I understand why. This book is phenomenal  using pain, history, and poetic grace as a way to trace back to a possibly exsisting past that needs to be remembered, held, and cared for. It brought me through the jungles of India and into the life of two young farel wolfgirls Kamala and Amala who are ‘saved’ by a Priest. I would love one day to do a work based of these two sisters and Kapil’s work in general.

One of the texted that gripped me and is so moving…

“Lucidly, holographically, your heart pulsed in the air next to your body; then my eyes clicked the photo into place. Future child, in the time you lived in, your arms always itched and flaked. To write this, the memoir of your body, I slip my arms into the sleeves of your shirt. I slip my arms into yours, to become four-limbed.”

ANNE CARSON

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF RED by Anne Carson

I was told about this book of prose by fellow AiR Jimmy Newborg. Three days after he lent it to me I dove into it the night before I was to give my artist talk at Calder’s January Open Studio’s, my nerves were a mess and I was tired form excessive writing needing actual time to step back form the massive project I just produced. Plowing through the book in a night at the end I felt overwhelmed and a strong connection to the contents throughout the pages…to Carson, I cried. Not because I was sad or really upset even but rather overjoyed at the success of the project and everything experienced in the making of it. I realized that I had just taken something that I put my entire self into and now it was gone from me and existing out and free to be viewed, experienced, and critiqued by the world. Like the boy named Geryon, I too continue to painfully grow with each artwork made and completed, a little piece of me goes with it.

CALDERA | WEEK 02-04

WEEK 02

JAN. 10-11, 2013

     

CALDERA | WEEK 01

DAY O1  

01.03.13  [ Thurs. ]

After having the privilege of spending the night and afternoon in Portland, OR I headed back to the Portland International Airport (PDX) to meet up with fellow AiR Jimmy Newborg to take the 3 hour bus ride to Redmond Airport where we were picked up by Caldera facility coordinator  Kathy Spezza who took us the remainder of 52 min. to Sisters.

We arrived in the dark of the night at 8:00PM so nothing was visible but snow covered roads and dark silhouette of trees. Kathy drove us to a row of 4 A-frame cabins where Jimmy and I had our names written in green on a white card pinned to the left of each door…at the right of the entrance was a stack of wood, kindling, & an ax; for some reason the first glance of this made my heart jump to think of the ‘rustic’ condition I would be living in for the next month. Once I walked in my fears were subsided by a warm welcoming cabin FULLY furnished & with central heating and an optional hearth fire. Each artists, unless coming as a couple or collaborative group, has their own cabin & 24-hr. assessable studio. The studio’s are immensely spacious and depending on which location you choose will have access to a downstairs floor area and an upstairs loft space. AiR John Berendzen has chose to take the entire Hearth Arts Center as his studio, using the expansive wooden constructed rooms to create his audio works within.

                       

DAY 02  

01.04.13 [ Fri. ]

The moment I walked into my cottage I felt that I can create and think clearly in this place. The stillness and silence I take as a privilege, a rare thing found in such a fast moving world. Here I can think and there is nothing standing in the way of that or consequences for taking the time to do so.

I have been fortunate enough to bond with fellow AiR Beth Loffreda who took me snow shoeing for the first time. I love the fact that every step is a conscious action and one has to be aware of what direction and route they choose to take. The landscape in Sisters, OR is breathtaking, we trekked along Shuttle Lake amongst the Ponderosa pines. 

     

The bulk of my supplies have been delayed due to ‘Emergency conditions beyond UPS control’ and there is no delivery on Saturdays so I will have to find other means to start working with, I will not let this delay me…I will find some way to begin working.

DAY 03 & 04

01.05.13

[ Sat. ]

The studios here are huge and I have been put in Studio B/ Dry Studio. I did not know what to expect pertaining to size and layout but I am pleasantly surprised at the immense space and setup. I am able to have one area for making the pieces for my video and the upstairs loft area for editing and keeping my equipment.

      

Due to the lack of majority of my materials I have taking this time to do more research on the geographical Sisters locations, as well as search more for any myths written on the 3 Sisters Mountain Range. It is amazing what uninterrupted research time can bring. I have been able to compile enough research to begin writing my myth on the 3 Sisters.

01.06.13
[ Sun. ]

What a productive morning, I have written my myth about 470 words that will be edited and changed over the duration of this project. I am very excited to have the majority of this part done because it will serve as a backbone to the work as it begins to unfold. Once the text has been overlooked by my editor Jimmy then I will post it with other project progress.

After being here for a couple days and not really having the chance to get my hands dirty in the studio I decided to go searching for material around the grounds. The search lead me to the cardboard dumpster where I was able to find very interesting things to work with, not only did I find good stuff to work with but it was really fun jumping into a dumpster (a clean, cardboard only one). This has got my creative sparks flying and helped me get the studio setup and allowed me to embrace being flexible in my initial plans….check out what I found.

            

Caldera Arts Center AiR January 2013

I am honored to have been selected and given the opportunity to participate in Caldera Arts Center January 2013 Artists in Residence Program from January 03-29 near Sisters, Oregon.

Every winter Caldera invites artists from all over the world to their Arts Center for month long residences. Artists share access to wet and dry studios, a darkroom, a kiln, editing facilities and rehearsal and performance space. Because they believe a range of backgrounds enhances the communal experience, residencies are open to artists from any field, as well as scientists, engineers and environmentalists.

Caldera Arts Center supports interdisciplinary integration throughout programs and encourages collaboration between artists, this being one of the main reasons I decided to applying to the program. I will open my art practice to collaborating with other artist and those outside of my field. In addition, they run multiple programs for the local youth that I will have a chance to participate in during the residency, I have proposed to teach a video focused workshop. Examples of past student projects can be found here. I have been asked to hold a video workshop I am calling Live Action Stop-Animation Stories. 

I specifically chose CALDERA Arts Center AiR Program because it emphasizes on collaboration with other artists within and outside of ones field. I am curious on how my work will be enriched and changed as I work with writers, musicians, engineers, and other visual artists; a process I have just recently began to explore.

To ground the focus of the collaborative work I want to begin by making video work around the Three Sisters, the 3 volcanic peaks of the Cascade Volcanic Arc in Oregon. I am interested in referencing the informational background and volcanic state of the Three Sisters (North/Faith; Middle/Hope; and South/Charity). According to the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, members of the Methodist mission in Salem probably named the Three Sisters in the early 1840s. I would like to interview and ask locals what stories or legends they have grown up hearing about these mountains, and I would also like to address their volcanic state and reference this to my own home in Hawaii.

Through research, storytelling, and collaboration my work will begin to take form. For an example of how I take fact and mythological information combined to create visually poetic video follow the link to my video ‘Costa’s High Paradise [ Alto Paraiso da Costa ] (https://vimeo.com/51041827); throughout this work I combined all the above I aim to incorporate while working at CALDERA.

To raise funds for travel and sending equipments and supplies that will be needed during the residency I created a Kickstarter Project: Lani goes to CALDERA ARTS CENTER 2013 AiR Program. With the help of 32 wonderfully generous supporting backers I was to raise $1,280 (after Kickstarter & Amazon.com service fees: $1,145.84).  All my backers are given rewards depending on their donation amount that will be delivered before the end of March 2013.

Throughout the duration of this artist residency I will try my best to keep an updated collection of experiences and progress of work as it is being created.