Tag Archives: art

Jul 29 2014
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Visual Arts

Artist Feature: Basilia Guadalupe

Basilia Guadalupe

Creo que el arte, la pintura en este caso, es una forma de entablar un diálogo no sólo con uno mismo sino también con la vida misma. Es un diálogo para mí ya que no podría afirmar que uno puede dar una respuesta cerrada haciendo arte, es más bien un diálogo eterno.

I believe that art and painting, in this case, is a way to initiate dialogue, not just within oneself but also with life itself. This is an ongoing dialogue, and I would say that one cannot really give a closed (or final) answer concerning art.

– Basilia Guadalupe

Para empezar con algunos puntos básicas, de dónde vienes? Dónde estás?

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

BG: Vengo de una provincia del nordeste Argentino que se llama Corrientes. Nací ahí pero a los pocos días de nacer nos fuimos a vivir con mi familia a España. Mis primeros cinco años fueron allí y luego volví a vivir a Corrientes. Hace cinco años vivo en Buenos Aires y Ahora estoy en el Sillón de mi casa en el barrio San Isidro.

BG: I’m from a province in the northwest of Argentina called Corrientes. I was born there and shortly after I moved with my family to Spain. I spent my first 5 years of life there and then moved back to Corrientes. I returned to Buenos Aires 5 years ago where I’m currently sitting on the sofa in my house in San Isidro.

Que quieren decir “reflexión,” y “respuesta,” para ti?

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

BG: Quiere decir dar una respuesta desde el lugar en el mundo donde uno se para y encara la vida. Una respuesta desde la visión del mundo que uno tiene.

BG: This means to give a response from the place one stops and faces the world. A response from one’s point of view of the world.

Basilia Guadalupe

Cómo se mete tu arte en esta definición?

How does your art fit into that definition?

BG: Creo que el arte, la pintura en este caso, es una forma de entablar un diálogo no sólo con uno mismo sino también con la vida misma. Es un diálogo para mí ya que no podría afirmar que uno puede dar una respuesta cerrada haciendo arte, es más bien un diálogo eterno. Kandinsky decía “Cada cuadro encierra misteriosamente toda una vida, toda una vida de muchos sufrimientos, dudas, horas de entusiasmo y de luz”. Yo creo que el arte que verdaderamente vale la pena mirar es aquel nos muestra casi sin querer toda esa energía de vida, toda la maravillosa complejidad de ser humanos. Creo que si en algún lado se cuela en mi arte la definición de reflexión y respuesta que dí es simplemente en el hecho de entrar en ese espacio de conexión donde se genera una reflexión sobre el mundo que quizás parezca que dura unos segundos pero continúa eternamente cuadro tras cuadro mientras intento dilucidar una respuesta.

BG: I believe that art and painting, in this case, is a way to initiate dialogue, not just within oneself but also with life itself. This is an ongoing dialogue, and I would say that one cannot really give a closed (or final) answer concerning art. As Kandisky said, “In every painting a whole is mysteriously enclosed, a whole life of tortures, doubts, of hours of enthusiasm and inspiration.” I believe that art that is really worth experiencing effortlessly depicts all that energy of life, all the complexity of human beings. If people hang up my art somewhere then my Reflection and Response is simply the fact that I’ve entered into that space of connection; (a place) where reflection about the world that seems to only last a few seconds but in reality continues forever (through) painting after painting (through which) I try to elucidate a response.

Basilia Guadalupe

Que más estás haciendo actualmente? Que proyectos estás pensando trabajar próximamente?

What else have you been working on recently? What are you looking to work on next?

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May 13 2014
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Creative Writing, Visual Arts

Artist Feature: Allison Spence

Allison Spence

What interested me most in those frames was how the video–the digital eye–reproduced them. A machine doesn’t have the same preconceived notions of what a body looks like. It doesn’t see it the same way we do, where in a confusion of limbs we always pick out what is intelligible to us.

– Allison Spence

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

AS: I grew up in South Florida, but I very recently moved to Los Angeles, via San Diego where I attended graduate school. I swung from palm tree to palm tree.

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

AS: To me, Reflection refers to a kind of information processing; whether it is a mental reflection (memory) or the reflection on a surface of an image or group of images, say with a mirror. Either way, Reflection is affected by its medium—by the perception of that medium. One’s memory of an event, for instance, is influenced by their position (physical/emotional/political/etc.) within that event. Or, if you think of fun-house mirrors, the same applies. We laugh at the reflections in a fun-house mirror, or they disturb us, because they do not conform to the views we already hold of our own bodies. But I think all of these reflections hold a kind of truth, even if they are sometimes considered just pale imitations of what they reference. Who is to really say for sure, though?

I think Response fits snugly into Reflection in that it is born out of a similar type of processing. But Response comes from the sum of a number of reflections, or experiences. In other words, there’s math involved. But because of all the different variables, it is easier to think of Response as a closer measure of the subject than Reflection. Like this interview versus the picture of me it starts out with.

Allison Spence - mass 6

Allison Spence – mass 6

How does your work fit in with that definition?

AS: Well, a lot of the work that is pictured here is from a recent series of paintings, which used as its subject split-second frames from highly compressed Youtube videos. They’re bodies, groups of bodies. The specifics of who they are or what they are doing don’t really matter in the long run. What interested me most in those frames was how the video–the digital eye–reproduced them. A machine doesn’t have the same preconceived notions of what a body looks like. It doesn’t see it the same way we do, where in a confusion of limbs we always pick out what is intelligible to us. We will always see the arms, the legs. Machines don’t always do this, and instead they’ll reproduce the limited information that they are given, like colors, values…there’s less separation, the boundaries blur, become masses. I like to think that maybe the machine sees something that we cannot, that this kind of collapse happens sometimes. The idea fascinates me.

Allison Spence - Big Mass

Allison Spence – Big Mass

Then, of course, I reproduce these moments in paint, and I bring with it all of my own baggage, all of those painterly considerations, color theory, all that junk. It becomes twice removed from its source. I’m responding to a reflection, in a sense.

Allison Spence - mass 4

Allison Spence – mass 4

What else have you been working on recently? What are you looking to work on next?

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May 05 2014
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Dance, Venue Facilitator

Artist Feature: Joanna Poz-Molesky

Joanna Poz-Molesky

JUNTOS addresses the need for human connections to inspire one another to create positive change and simultaneously to heal suffering…By using community outreach in art, I hope to offer expression, inspiration, healing, sharing, and most importantly, love.

– Joanna Poz-Molesky

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

JPM: I was born in Berkeley, California and currently reside in Oakland. Although I spent most of my life there, I’ve also lived in Guatemala and New York City. 

I recognize that as artists, we all share part of our story and message. I was born into a bi-cultural household – my father a Maya from a rural village in the Guatemalan highlands who finished high school, my mother an ex-nun with her Ph.D from a middle-class San Francisco family. I realize that as a bi-cultural woman, life presents me with wonderful opportunities to experience the richness and understandings of various heritages as well as offers me possibilities to communicate with these cultures. I recognize art as my way of celebrating my heritage as well as sharing my knowledge, especially with those living in isolation.

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

JPM: I really do believe that if anything has a chance to create a more peaceful world, it’s art. We don’t decide to be artists: we are called. Our voices are all so different – each stemming from past experiences, how we view our environment, time we share with individuals, and cultures we are surrounded by – but each voice speaks to its own truth. We have a responsibility to respond to hate, violence, and pain we humans bring this world. If we use our varying voices to speak to these issues, we shine light that becomes truth and beauty. I have come to recognize artists as therapists for the soul, spiritual versions of chiropractors. Art is healing and we are its vessel. Sometimes, we too are the ones that are in need of this healing and when we create and share, we gain strength and knowledge.

How does your work fit in with that definition?

JPM: My work is not an individual piece of art. I founded and direct JUNTOS Collective – a non-profit dance company that empowers individuals and inspires community building across national boundaries with a strong focus in Latin America through teaching, learning, and exchanging dance.

JUNTOS Collective

JUNTOS Collective

JUNTOS addresses the need for human connections to inspire one another to create positive change and simultaneously to heal suffering. It is the first collective comprised of university students at various competitive dance conservatories dedicated to creating community across international borders through dance. In partnering with various communities in Central America and the United States, JUNTOS introduces an innovative method in which participants maintain and strengthen national and international relationships while encouraging individuals to become persons serving others. JUNTOS recognizes the many problems humanity faces and attempts to reconcile differences, offering a new method to create change.

JUNTOS Collective

JUNTOS Collective

By using community outreach in art, I hope to offer expression, inspiration, healing, sharing, and most importantly, love. Being in love does not consist of loving everything; being in love with life and with what you do exerts kindness, imagination, drive, how you live your life and can lead to a compassionate and honest world. I propose to offer a piece of this love with my company. I hope to inspire others to share love, weave communities, people, and differences together to create a more peaceful world.

JUNTOS Collective

Who or what inspires you?

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Apr 24 2014
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Visual Arts

Artist Feature: Michela Buttignol

Michela Buttignol is a visual artist that we met up with through Maryanne Ventrice. Born and raised in Sacile, Italy, Michela has been based in New York City since 2009. She now focuses on her craft as a freelance illustrator, often switching between client projects and media work. She highlights an interesting version of Reflection as legacy, in that all reflections come from ideas that have previously existed, and Response is the unique style in which an artist creates work. Throughout the interview she discusses her experience growing as an artist working for the New York Times Op-Ed Page, an exciting upcoming show at the Bushwick Open Studio alongside dope artist Andrea DeFelice, and the journey curating visual components of her husband’s band Libel. Her unique style shines through the prints presented next to the dialogue below. Peep the talk below!

Michela Buttignol

Working with boundaries, if well defined, helps me move out of my comfort zone and find new solutions for better results.

– Michela Buttignol

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

MB: I am originally from Italy, born and raised in Sacile, a super small town in the northeast, not too far from Venice. I moved to the United States almost three years ago because of love. Back in 2009 while in New York, I met a guy who’s now my husband and makes me very very happy.

Since I’ve moved here I’ve been working solo as a freelance illustrator but art, drawing and creativity have always been central in my life. I decided to embrace a hard but beautiful career in the arts when I was very young; leafing through children’s books, I fell in love with the magic world of illustrations. Through the years, my passion has shifted from children’s books to editorial illustrations, which became later my profession.

Today I switch between media work and client-driven projects. I always try to find new inspirations, experimenting and pushing myself forward to improve and grow as a designer.

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

MB: Reflection is to recreate. Deliver a new point of view on something that already existed but appears differently every time someone builds or creates a new identity with it. I love to recreate what I see; for example, when I draw people, I tell a new story about them, attaching a new vision and a new identity. The response is in the style, in the world that you create with your art and how the audience recognizes and captures it, understanding the process behind the artwork.

How does your work fit in with that definition?

MB: I love to work on commission. That’s why I don’t recognize myself as an “artist” but as a designer. I like the pressure of the deadline and the exchange with the commitment. During this past year I’ve had the opportunity to work for The New York Times Op-Ed page, and the experience made me understand how important a challenging topic is, as well as the urge to give it a new meaning with your design. Working with boundaries, if well defined, helps me move out of my comfort zone and find new solutions for better results.

Michela Buttignol - The Tonic of Wildness

Michela Buttignol – The Tonic of Wildness

Michela Buttignol - NYT

Michela Buttignol - NYT

What else have you been working on recently? What are you looking to work on next?

MB: Today I am working on my next exhibition for Bushwick Open Studio. I will open my apartment and my studio during the festival weekend and share my space with friend and extraordinary artist Andrea DeFelice.

Michela Buttignol - Jump

Michela Buttignol – Jump

Also, I am very happy and proud to curate the visual identity and everything related to my husband’s band Libel. Creating posters, album covers and animated videos for this band is a joyful ongoing project that constantly gets more challenging. Since I started (almost three years ago), with Gavin’s direction and the inspiration from the music, I’ve created a large collection of gig posters that is going to grow in the future along with other video projects I am going to jump on soon for the band.

Michela Buttignol - Gig Poster

Michela Buttignol - Gig Poster

Michela Buttignol - Gig Poster

Michela Buttignol - Gig Poster

Michela Buttignol - Gig Poster

Who or what inspires you?

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Apr 24 2014
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Visual Arts

Artist Feature: Nichole Speciale

We connected with San Diego-based visual artist Nichole Speciale through our friend Andrea Harris. Nicole goes in on Reflection and Response, detailing the graphic representation of these processes in her piece Repeat After Me, focusing on the interaction of various surfaces and mediums. Additionally, she delves into her fabric work, On Gravity, which provides two different viewing options that each inform the other to provide a complete understanding of the piece for the viewer. This is a visual artist that practices ill artistic and multimedia expression and we’re juiced to have her words and pieces represented as part of the LIFESTYLE Collective below!

Nichole Speciale

I’ve had this ongoing project called Repeat After Me, which is about considering the plane of the canvas or the paper as a closed system, and as soon as a mark or shape is made in an art material another reflection or translation of that shape is made in thread.

– Nichole Speciale

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

NS: I am originally from Boston, MA and about 3 years ago, I moved to San Diego to go to graduate school, which I am currently finishing up.

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

NS: I would have to say that my practice is largely based on this concept. I’ve had this ongoing project called Repeat After Me, which is about considering the plane of the canvas or the paper as a closed system, and as soon as a mark or shape is made in an art material another reflection or translation of that shape is made in thread, which becomes a more difficult task because to make a shape composed of straight lines you have to move back and forth through the plane of the paper or canvas.

I have also been doing an ongoing project with a flutist where we have a continuous feedback loop where I’ll reflect on the music she has played and respond through the making of an object and then she will reflect on my work and respond musically. So, to define the terms for myself – I would say that Reflection is a process of seeing/hearing and then internalizing only to turn back to the original occurrence and present your own version, much like holding up a mirror to the original act. Response is something delivered that does not have to emulate the original, but can carry a thread of the original with it in the returned action.

Repeat After Me (in Response to Rachel Beetz, flutist)

Repeat After Me (in Response to Rachel Beetz, flutist)

How does your work fit in with that definition?

NS: I’ve included a drawing from the Repeat After Me series, which I touched on in the my last answer, and have included my piece On Gravity, which is a two-sided work on stretched fabric made with sewing pins and nails. I feel this work fits in with this definition in that you can only take in one side at a time, while knowing that both images exist at once. And in viewing each side you have to consider the other to make sense of the whole piece.  The front of the canvas creates one impression with subtle color changes and soft textures and in response, or maybe an inverted reflection, the back side with the colored heads of the pins is like a bejeweled surface, and is surprising, but can only be surprising because of the reverse side.

On Gravity (front)

On Gravity (front)

On Gravity (back)

On Gravity (back)

What else have you been working on recently? What are you looking to work on next?

NS: I have been collaborating with a different musician than the one I mentioned earlier and we have been making ‘sound paintings’ where we embed speakers in stretched fabric or canvas to extend the surface of the painting via sound. The one I am currently working on is about 5.5’ x 3.5’ stretched canvas and I have been sewing 2 large coils of speaker wire onto the surface. We’ve got magnets that turn those coils into speakers. So we are working on figuring out what sound should be coming from that piece… very exciting.

Pie from Scratch - In progress (speaker wire and thread on canvas)

Pie from Scratch – In progress (speaker wire and thread on canvas)

Who or what inspires you?

NS: I am very inspired by investigation of the universe. So I will often read things by Carl Sagan or Neil deGrasse Tyson or Brian Greene. I also love watching NASA TV or poking around on their website. I also get really excited by 80s and 90s art that looks like it was the product of AV club, like Gretchen Bender or Nam June Paik.

Is there anything else you would like the Collective to know?

NS: Hmmm… Well, I recently learned that wasps basically make their nests from paper maché… how cool is that! They started it!

Shout out to…?

NS: Andrea Harris for suggesting me to the collective!

And my music collaborators: Curt Miller and Rachel Beetz!

Redshift Blueshift (ball point pins on speakers)

Redshift Blueshift (ball point pins on speakers)

Check out more of Nichole’s artwork on her website: http://nicholelizspeciale.com/home.html

Reflection and Response.

 

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Apr 16 2014
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Visual Arts

Artist Feature: Valerie Wilson

Valerie Wilson is a visual artist and educator based in San Francisco. We first met when she was working with students at Alchemia, an arts program for adults with developmental disabilities. In our dialogue, she comments on the conscious and subconscious nature of Reflection, and the unique uses of these Reflections that each person chooses as their Response. Valerie chooses to reflect through art as a “healing interpretation,” of her world, as she describes with her print, The Royal Rooster, dealing with mixed emotions of a past relationship. Check out Valerie’s ideas in more detail below and snapshots from her printmaking process!

Valerie Wilson

Either consciously or subconsciously, people are processing their surroundings, their past, present, & future every single moment of the day. What one does with their reflection(s) is completely subjective, but unanimously response is a direct reaction to reflection (and visa versa).

– Valerie Wilson

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

VW: I’m originally from Sebastopol, a small town in Northern California infused with wine, liberals, and art.  In 2005 I moved to San Francisco, and have set up a semi-permanent fort there.

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

VW: Either consciously or subconsciously, people are processing their surroundings, their past, present, & future every single moment of the day. What one does with their reflection(s) is completely subjective, but unanimously response is a direct reaction to reflection (and visa versa). Reflection and response are symbiotic with each other, for every action there is a reaction, creation is what happens when these two work together (which is all the time).

Valerie Wilson - The Royal Rooster

Valerie Wilson – The Royal Rooster

How does The Royal Rooster fit in with that definition?

VW: I’m incredibly detailed oriented and love symmetry, but besides that, my artistic process is very lackadaisical erring on the side of intuitiveness. My most complex pieces have surfaced during equally complex life events. Without a doubt I’d say that my work is a creative and healing interpretation of my world & existential well-being. My art is interchangeable between Reflection and Response, and is definitely fueled by both concepts. The Royal Rooster is the romanticization of a past partner. In the spring of 2011 I started carving and designing this bird after a breakup with someone I truly respected but equally despised. He (the rooster) is so tall and proud and beautiful while simultaneously reiterating his haughtiness and unattainability. Of course, I come to realize this only retrospectively, but see this piece as an obvious phoenix rising from the ashes of a failed (but cherished) relationship.

Valerie Wilson - The Royal Rooster (Process)

Valerie Wilson – The Royal Rooster (Process)

Valerie Wilson - The Royal Rooster (Process)

Valerie Wilson – The Royal Rooster (Process)

What else have you been working on recently? What are you looking to work on next?

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Apr 11 2014
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Visual Arts

Artist Feature: Ángel Rams

We’re excited to welcome Valencia-born and Leipzig-based comic book artist and illustrator Ángel Rams to the LIFESTYLE collective. Angel sheds light on the roles of Reflection during the process of interpreting an author’s scene and Response as the illustrator’s goal to tell the story through that interpretation. He goes in on the importance of telling a story without sacrificing the narrative for superfluous illustrations that only aim to impress readers. Ángel showcases these different features of the creative process using dope examples from his portfolio. He also sheds light on exciting future projects such as serving as the artist for  Alfred Ngubane‘s book Shaka Zulu, the upcoming release of a graphic novel set in post-WWII, and his participation in the 2014 Egmont Graphic Novel Contest with his graphic novel Cayuco. Check out the dialogue below accompanied by samples from Angel’s eclectic collection and links to various projects he’s got going on.

Ángel Rams

 

One of the main rules of sequential art is that you are here to entertain people, telling them a story throughout panels, not to gather a bunch of cool pin-ups on a page. A good comic book page can be understood without the dialogue on it, because it responds to the script.

– Ángel Rams

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

AR: My name is Ángel Rams. I´m a comic book artist and illustrator born in Valencia, Spain. I currently reside in Leipzig, Germany.

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

AR: I consider myself a comic book artist that takes occasional illustration commissions. The bulk of my artwork is what we call “sequential artwork”, in plain English: comic book pages. So I guess I should respond as a comic book artist. I believe Reflection and Response are a great part of a comic book artist’s work.

I would say Reflection describes my intention when I draw a scene, an object or a character. I try to capture on paper how I conceive that scene, object or that character. I try to reflect my perception of reality through my artistic skills. Of course that reality doesn’t really exist; it’s a reality the writer created. My task is to read, interprete and reflect. And that leads us to the next question: Response.

I understand Response as the artist’s level of commitment and efficiency toward the story. Rule number one is: tell the story. The closer my drawings are to the writer’s initial idea, the better Response I provided as a professional. In my opinion, a good comic book is the one where art and dialogues work along so well that it makes you wonder if it was made by a team or by one single creator. For this to happen you need a collaborative effort between writer and artist, or such a complete, well written script, that it gives the artist information enough to provide a good Response. Luckily I’ve been in both situations.

One of the main rules of sequential art is that you are here to entertain people, telling them a story throughout panels, not to gather a bunch of cool pin-ups on a page. Sadly, many artists focus their efforts on showcasing lots of boobs, muscle and plasma beams in cool postures rather than telling the story effectively. They adapt the story to the art and it should be the other way around, and that creates divergences. There’s nothing worse than divergences between artwork and dialogues. Seeing a character doing something or showing a body language that doesn’t match what they say, drives you out of the story and makes it less believable. A good comic book page can be understood without the dialogue on it, because it responds to the script. You don’t really know what they are saying but you know what’s going on.

Ángel Rams - Tunnel, page 9

Ángel Rams - Tunnel, page 10

How does your work fit in with that definition?

AR: When you look at the pages [from Tunnel] above, even with no lettering work on them, they convey the defenselessness and vulnerability the wounded character is feeling at that point of the story. His posture laying on bed, the martial mood of the military character that’s talking to him, the dark empty infirmary room, how the doctor approaches step by step with his apron stained with blood… All of this is telling you that wounded dude is in trouble. My task as an artist is to convey that idea throughout the page, to respond to the writer’s idea. Even the page layout imitates the shape of the window’s grid. All these elements subconsciously affect the reader, they create a mood and make the story believable. They all work together to tell the story.

At the same time, I have to reflect on the look of the room (it’s not a civil hospital, but a camp hospital), the ethnicities of the characters (the doc is Japanese) and every single object in an effective way. That means hours of documentation and study before even picking up the pencil. How many amateur comics did you see where cars look like shoe boxes? That happens because they don’t reflect real objects properly.

The next scene, below, [is] pretty much the same. The female character has the sensation of being observed, and so does the reader, because  the position of the statues, the deer head and the empty library convey that feeling.

Ángel Rams - Tunnel, page 23

What else have you been working on recently? What are you looking to work on next?

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Apr 03 2014
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Visual Arts

Artist Feature: Max Nelson

Max Nelson is a Bay Area based web designer and visual artist. He has worked with various aspects of design including illustration, logos, and image layout. Max discusses the interconnected nature of Reflection and Response as the feedback loop between the brain and the images we encounter. He discusses the role of Reflection and Response in his piece Talking Type, and showcases a handful of other works from his archives.

Max Nelson

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

MN: Berkeley, CA is where I was born and raised. Still basically just crushing it in the city of B-town…I need to GTF outta here.

Max Nelson - "Watercolor Fingertips"

Max Nelson – “Watercolor Fingertips”

Max Nelson - "Turquoise Gemstone"

Max Nelson – “Turquoise Gemstone”

 

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

MN: Well a reflection is an aspect or image of a thing, cast onto another thing. A response is essentially a directed reaction. The two combined remind me of  like, a brain with an image projected onto it from like, a projector. The image is like a volcano or something.

Max Nelson - "Swept" (Click the image to check out the piece in full)

Max Nelson – “Swept” (Click the image to check out the piece in full)

How does your piece “Talking Type” fit in with that definition?

MN: I’ll choose the typographic guide ‘Talking Type’ – I did the marker version one night in college. It was probably about 3am, I’d been studying a shitload of typography, and with all that in my system (reflection), I busted that out in sharpie in like 15 min. (response). Years later I found the pages and liked them and decided to type them out in Photoshop.

Max Nelson - "Talking Type" (Click the image to check out the piece in full)

Max Nelson – “Talking Type” (Click the image to check out the typographic guide in full)

What else have you been working on recently? What are you looking to work on next?

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Feb 10 2014
3 Comments
Creative Writing, Visual Arts

Artist Feature: Elena Rosillo

Elena Rosillo muestra que el poder de los medios de comunicación nuevos se puede utilizar para dar a conocer los que tienen algo para decir. En su propio blog, The Rosillo’s Rover, ha escrito sobre el ocio Madrileño que le interesa y le parece que debe recibir más atención.  También aprende más sobre el oficio de investigación como parte del equipo que produce el diario Madrileño La Guía del Ocio mientras quiere seguir con su carrera universitaria con un doctorado. En la entrevista debajo aprendemos sobre el cruce del Reflexión y Respuesta y investigación, el mundo de creativos en que vive y escribe esta periodista Madrileña, y varios temas más.

Elena Rosillo demonstrates how the power of new communication technologies can be used to share and promote those who have something to say. In her personal blog The Rosillo’s Rover, Elena has written about events and nightlife in Madrid that are both interesting and deserving of more attention. She also continues to learn more about the craft of journalism as part of the Madrid-based lifestyle journal La Guía del Ocio while seeking to further her education with a PhD in the field. In the interview below we learn about the intersection of Reflection and Response, the world of creatives in which Elena lives and writes about, and several other topics.

Elena Rosillo

Mi reflexión acerca de aquello que me rodea y donde vivo es lo que me ha llevado, como respuesta, a hacer lo que hago y actuar como actúo. Se trata de un feedback con tus propias circunstancias e intereses, que también afecta a aquellos que me rodean.

My reflection involves things that happen around me, and where I live this has brought me, as a response, to do what I do and act how I act. [Reflection] serves as a “feedback loop” including one’s own circumstances and interests which, in turn, affects what surrounds them.

– Elena Rosillo

Para empezar con algunos puntos básicas, de dónde vienes? Dónde estás?

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

ER: Vengo de ese pedazo de la España en que nací, cuna del requiebro y del chotis. De Madrid, mi ciudad y la ciudad de mis padres y abuelos, y de aquellos con los que convivo y a los que retrato con mi trabajo.

ER: I come from this part of Spain, where I was born, [which is also] the birthplace of “requiebro y chotis”. From Madrid – my city, the city of my parents and grandparents, and of those with whom I live and those who I feature in my work.

Que quiere decir “reflexión,” y “respuesta,” para ti?

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

ER: La reflexión forma una parte muy estrecha de mi personalidad. Todos mis amigos me dicen que pienso demasiado, aunque no creo que eso sea necesariamente algo malo. La respuesta es aquello que se consigue con la reflexión. Mi reflexión acerca de aquello que me rodea y donde vivo es lo que me ha llevado, como respuesta, a hacer lo que hago y actuar como actúo. Se trata de un feedback con tus propias circunstancias e intereses, que también afecta a aquellos que me rodean.

ER: Reflection forms a small part of my personality. All of my friends tell me that I think too much, although I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. Response is what you achieve along with reflection. My reflection involves things that happen around me, and where I live this has brought me, as a response, to do what I do and act how I act. [Reflection] serves as a “feedback loop” including one’s own circumstances and interests which, in turn, affects what surrounds them.

Cómo se mete tu trabajo del blog en esta definición?

How does your work with your blog fit in with that definition?

ER: The Rosillo´s Rover es un blog de cultura y ocio alternativo en Madrid (y lo que surja, claro). Decidí crearlo a raíz de mi primera visita al famoso open mic de la Triskel Tavern (en Tribunal). Allí conocí a muchas personas que trabajaban y compartían su talento. Gran parte de esas personas jamás llegarán a ser retratadas en un medio de comunicación generalista. Pero eso no significa que carezcan de talento, ni que sean menos válidas que aquellas que sí aparecen en estos mismos medios. Más bien al contrario, en aquella ocasión creí ver una fuente de talento e ilusión (y amistad) que me hizo desear dar a conocer al mundo a estas personas.

ER: The Rosillo’s Rover is a blog about culture and alternative entertainment in Madrid (and whatever else might come up along with that, of course). I decided to start this blog as a result of my first visit to the famous Open Mic at Triskel Tavern (in Tribunal, Madrid). There I met a lot of people who were working and sharing their talent. Most of these people will never been featured in mainstream media, but that doesn’t mean that they lack talent, nor that they’re less valid than those that are in the media. On the contrary, they’re often much better, and at the time I believed I saw a wealth of talent and excitement (and friendship) that made me want to share these people [and their work] with the world.

ER: Esa fue mi reflexión, y mi respuesta vino con la creación del blog, con el objetivo de dar a conocer esa circunstancia, ese open mic. Tampoco quiero aparentar lo que no soy; mi blog es, simplemente, otra ventana más abierta al mundo a través de internet. Pero me gustaría pensar que esta pequeña ventana sirve para que alguien que previamente no conociera el trabajo de estos artistas anónimos, de repente sepa de su existencia. Que lea sus nombres y vea sus caras, y escuche su música, o vea sus cuadros, o lea sus libros, o se anime a acudir a sus actuaciones. Me parece una forma humilde y modesta de reivindicar el talento que se esconde, precisamente, en las calles de esta ciudad que tanto me fascina.

ER: That was my reflection, and my response came with creating my blog, with the objective of sharing this circumstance, that open mic. I don’t want to seem like something I’m not; [so] my blog is, simply, another open window to the world through the internet. But I’d like to think that this small window serves a purpose such that someone who didn’t know about these anonymous artists previously, suddenly knows about their existence. That they read their names, see their faces, listen to their music, look at their paintings, read their books, or get inspired to attend their performances. To me it seems like a humble and modest form of reclaiming the talent that’s concealed, precisely, in the streets of this city that fascinates me so.

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Jan 28 2014
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Creative Writing, Visual Arts

Artist Feature: David Figueroa

David Figueroa estudió arquitectura y también diseña camisetas, escribe microrelatos, saca fotografías, mientras combina todo en su tienda Básic Barcelona (Carrier Portal Nou 17).  Le conocimos a David durante el viaje que hicimos en el verano de 2013.  Su arte y buenas vibras se encuentran en su tienda que representa un lugar donde también invita a otros artistas a compartir sus voces y palabras. En la entrevista, David comparte su narrativa global y nos invita a charlar sobre Reflexión y Respuesta, y varios otros temas sobre una mesa con tazas de café en Barcelona. 

Artist David Figueroa studied architecture and also designs T-shirts, writes micro-fiction stories, takes photographs and combines all of these mediums in his shop Básic Barcelona (Carrier Portal Nou 17).  We first met David during the LIFESTYLE trip to Spain in Summer 2013. His shop space is filled with his work and represents a place where other creators can also come to share their voices and words. In this interview, David shares his global narrative and invites us all to discuss Reflection and Response, and various other topics over cups of coffee straight out of Barcelona.

David Figueroa

Para empezar con algunos puntos básicos de dónde eres y dónde estás ahora?

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

DF: Soy de Colombia, soy arquitecto y llegue hace doce años y medio aquí a Barcelona. Vine con mi hijo pequeño y mi ex esposa y aquí estoy en Barcelona. Vine a Cerdanyola, luego estuve un tiempo en Estados Unidos , 6 meses. Luego vine aquí, he vivido en Gracia, en el Raval, en Sagrada Familia, en el Borne. Me gusta mucho el centro, el ambiente del centro.

DF: I’m an architect from Columbia and I came to Barcelona twelve and a half years ago with my young son and my ex-wife. I first came to Cerdanyola, then lived in the United States for six months. Finally I moved here [to Barcelona] and I’ve lived in Gracia, in Raval, Sagrada Familia, and el Borne. I really enjoy the environment of living in the center of the city.

Que quiere decir reflección y respuesta para ti y cómo se mete esta definición en tu arte?

What does Reflection and Response mean to you, and how do you locate those ideas in your artwork?

DF: Reflección es lo que nos tiene que inspirar, el arte; el pensamiento crítico o no. Yo creo que el arte no es gratis si no sale porque si… nos hace como respuesta a algo en que esto es personal. Que realmente tienen que ver con algo más global. Una respuesta social. Es parte de donde has estado, el sitio, todo lo que estas viviendo.

DF: Reflection refers to what inspires us artistically, expressed critically or non-critically. I believe that art isn’t free [from experience] and comes out in response to something personal [in the artist’s life]. I believe we need to actually view art with a more global perspective and a social response. This is shaped [differently for every individual, depending on] the places you’ve seen and your unique life experiences.

David Figueroa - Cilantro

David Figueroa – Cilantro

DF: Mi arte, yo no sé si considerarlo arte. Si que es una expresión gráfica en este caso con las camisetas es diseño gráfico y si que hay respuesta a muchas cosas pero sobre todo personales lo mismo. Las cosas que me gustan y que me gustaría compartir. Por ejemplo un diseño que he gustado muchísimo y tiene muy buena respuesta es del cilantro. El Cilantro es una yerba que utilizamos para cocinar en Colombia. Es cómo el sabor de casa, algo que añoramos y que nos identifica muchos que estamos aquí que somos de fuera. Luego también sueño de infancia de tener un Mustang, pues mira es casi siempre (sueñas con) tener un Mustang, pero tienes por lo menos una camiseta.

DF: I don’t know whether to consider my work “art”. It’s true that my pieces are graphic expressions, and the [screen-printed] T-shirts certainly represent graphic design and involve response, mostly to personal issues – themes that I enjoy and that I’d like to share with others. For example, the “cilantro” t-shirt is a design that I’m passionate about and that has had a strong response from others. Cilantro is an herb that we use for cooking in Colombia. It represents the flavor of home, something that we miss, and is part of the identity of those that live here but are not from here. [Another design concept I’ve been working with involves] a childhood dream of owning a Mustang – although you can have this aspiration forever without actually owning a Mustang, at least you can have one printed on a t-shirt.

David Figueroa - Mustang

David Figueroa – Mustang

DF: Yo también hago fotografía y escribo. Escribo microrelatos y cosas cortas, y hay unas cosas que están en plan más en camisetas también. Es algo más íntimo, más mío y me gusta eso que la gente lo pueda llevar. Normalmente para los diseños utilizo fotografía, la retoco en Fotoshop y en Illustrator. Hay una que también me gusta mucha y que ya tenía muy buena respuesta que es una fotografía que hice en Marruecos en la playa. Un turista típico con sombrilla y calcetines blancos, shorts-guiri típico haciendo una foto. Queda en el sol en la playa, o sea que perfecto con eso hay que hacer algo. Luego viene lo de el concepto del turista. Por eso quise poner el texto de “I’m not a tourist.” Porque también hay una cosa de viajar: tu puedes ser un viajero pero no un turista, un turista típico. Es una especie de critica también, y por eso me gusta que ha tenido tan buena aceptación.

DF: I also take photographs and write. I write short stories, short pieces, some of which I incorporate into my t-shirt designs. These are intimate pieces that feel very much mine and I like that people can wear these pieces. For my designs, I typically work from a photograph, using Photoshop and Illustrator for retouching and editing. Another one of my favorite pieces that has had a positive reaction is a photo that I took on the beach in Morocco: an archetypical Western tourist holding an umbrella, wearing high white socks and shorts, taking a picture. The tourist is standing in the sun on the beach – an image I knew I had to do something with. Thinking of the whole concept of an archetypical “tourist,” I wanted to include the text “I’m not a tourist” to suggest that one can be a traveler without being a tourist.  This piece represents that criticism, which is one reason why I’m happy that it has had such a positive reaction.

David Figueroa - I'm Not a Tourist

David Figueroa – I’m Not a Tourist

Que más estás haciendo actualmente y que proyecto estás pensando trabajar próximamente?

What else are you doing currently and what projects are you thinking about working on next?

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