Voices
From Cat Del Buono's intimate video installation Voices, one hears 20 monitors playing at once the individual stories of domestic abuse survivors, a cacophony of unrecognizable words meant to act as metaphor for the abstract nature of statistics, only when one approaches an individual monitor can one hear the singular, unique story of what one woman went through and how she got out of her situation. As a society we must fight against allowing this to become a blur of background noise, of mere statistics, something happening to someone else, not your Mother, Sister, Aunt, Cousin, but it could be, and even if it isn't, as a society we must take note and begin to listen to these individual stories, to bring this violence out of the shadows. Cat has recently curated a permanent exhibit for Art Connects of artworks and murals in a domestic violence shelter in the Bronx. Del Buono's work also heavily engages with humor "which allows people to be more receptive," Cat says, "since the message is hidden behind the humor. The laughing keeps them from shutting out the harsh criticism or message." Films such as How Not To Get Raped and Now I'm Beautiful! serve satirical purpose around the absurdities of bodily enhancement, plastic surgery and the obsession with artificial standards and notions of beauty and appearance, as in the latter, while also dealing satirically with harsh and dire experiences, in the former, tackling the absurd blame the victim mantras our society recklessly trots out, and producing, by way of humor, a profound disturbance in the undertone of our unconscious attitudes, and hopefully resulting in a realization of such backwards thinking over rape and crimes against women. AHC talked with Cat about her art and films and about the driving forces behind her creative body of work: "I wish I had stopped fighting myself sooner," Del Buono says, "and just embraced who I was - an artist." AHC: What has your own personal evolution towards a life in art been like, are there a series of moments you can recall where this path, this calling, began to become the one clearly marked for you? Cat: I was always drawing as a kid and considered myself an artist back then. At the age of 11, I began making films - on Super 8 film - so I then considered myself a filmmaker. But when I went to college, I had this idea that you couldn't be an artist or filmmaker "in real life" - you had to have a "real" job. However, I found myself fighting this most of my young adult life. I was unable to stop myself from majoring in studio art, taking photography classes and any other art class that was being offered. Those were the classes I never skipped, the classes I always got straight A's in. I dropped out of the NYU graduate film program to work in the tv/film industry in NYC but always found myself doing side projects - installations, photography, and music videos. I wish I had stopped fighting myself sooner and just embraced who I was - an artist. Not until 2006 did I decide to finally get my MFA and allow myself to just be what I always was. And it felt great. Haven't stopped since.
Voices, Bronx
AHC: Could you explore and expand on some of the motivating ideas at work in both the images that you make and the process behind the making of them? How does the idea for you begin and what does its evolution look like during the stages of its development? Cat: I feel I'm constantly bombarded with ideas throughout the day. I have to carry a notepad with me or I will forget them. They come from things I see or experience. Lately, a lot of ideas stem from our current social issues. For example, while at a residency in Miami I noticed so many women - including young women - with plastic surgery. That's when the beauty standard projects like "Now I'm Beautiful," "Vanity Unfair," and "Beauty Box" were born. Most of the ideas are crystal clear in what the end product should look like, though there are some tweaks along the way. My biggest issue is finding the time and the money to actually bring these ideas to life. My notebook awaits me...
Now I'm Beautiful!
AHC: I wanted to explore your inspiration behind and what first motivated you to make your Voices Project, focusing in on domestic violence survivors. How did you find these women and how did you approach getting them to open up about their experiences, given the fragility of such a topic and how triggering memory can be? Was the effect of narrating for themselves what happened cathartic and liberating for them, from what you observed and from the feed back of these women? Cat: As a witness to abuse, I felt the need to create a project that focused on the survivors. I noticed this topic was not something discussed in the art world or my community or in the media at all. I reached out to a domestic violence organization in Miami and met with one of the advocates. She got to know me and my other works and trusted me to film the women at her shelter. They had me do a presentation and a talk first, and then the women signed up to be part of the project. To my surprise, they wanted to talk about what they went through and they wanted to help other women get out of their situations as well. It's not just cathartic. It's about making sure people know that this exists and realize we need to work together to stop it. Working with the Miami shelter opened the doors to all the other domestic violence organizations I worked with. With a Baang & Burne New Works Grant and Woman Made Gallery's space, I was able to have my first installation and panel discussion. Voices is still traveling the USA, adding more and more voices from each city while having a conversation with the community about this epidemic. VoicesTrailer from Cat Del Buono on Vimeo. AHC: Who are some of your artistic and cinematic influences? Is there anyone outside of the art and film world who has had a huge impact on you and your work or who just generally inspire you on some level, writers, comedians, musicians etc? Cat: Artists and others who I admire and have been influenced by include Bill Viola, Lorna Simpson, Pipilotti Rist, Guerrilla Girls, Banksy, Maya Deren, Tina Fey, Lucy Stone, and Gloria Steinem.
Vanity Unfair
AHC: What do you consider, personally, to be the most sacred and enduring aspects of art and film? How does it enrich our world and our cultural memory? How has it enriched or altered your own life? In your opinion, what does art, at its finest moments, bring into the world that would otherwise leave us more impoverished without it? Cat: Art can be used as another language. It's another way to communicate a feeling, idea, or message without shoving it in someone's face. I find humor is a great way to do this because it allows for people to be more receptive since the message is hidden behind the humor. (The laughing keeps them from shutting out the harsh criticism or message.) I don't believe works should be precious nor do they need to be aesthetically pleasing. I also feel as an artist today it is impossible to create works without some sort of message or social commentary. We are reminded daily of all that is still wrong with this country, so it's hard for that not to influence our thoughts and ideas. So currently, art can function as a tool for the activist agenda. It won't change the world, but it can open a few eyes to what needs to change.
How Not To Get Raped
AHC: What is the first work of art or cinema you encountered that took your breath away, that lit a fire in you? Cat: The films of Maya Deren. AHC: Do you have any words of advice or encouragement for young artists and other creatives who are experiencing self-doubt in their art, frustration or blocks? What are the types of things that have helped you to move past moments where you may have become stuck creatively? Cat: Don't edit yourself at first. Don't look at what everyone else is doing or how well they're doing. Don't compare yourself to them. Just focus on yourself and do the work. Create everything and anything - and don't restrict your medium - and afterwards you can look at everything you did and see what works or adjust as needed. The idea is if you make 100 things, there has to be at least one thing that is really good. And be sure to get to know other artists and curators and writers. Collaborate and help others when you can. These friendships will help you in the future.
Beauty Box
AHC: Do you have any upcoming exhibits or new projects you'd like to tell people about? Cat: I curated a permanent exhibit for Art Connects that opens October 12th. It's artworks and murals in a domestic violence shelter in the Bronx. I'm very proud to be part of this much needed project and to have such amazing artists donate their time and their works. I also plan on finally having "Voices" in Brooklyn next year. More info to come... All Film Stills and Photographs © Cat Del Buono (courtesy of the artist.) For more visit www.catdelbuono.com/ www.voicesproject.info/ refemme.tumblr.com Current Mural project in the Bronx needs your help raising funds for supplies: www.gofundme.com/domestic-violence-shelter-exhibit Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2024
Categories |