Tuesday 30 August 2011

Not For Me

Beware! The video that you are about to see is not for the faint-hearted since it contains scenes of violence.






I am currently making a new show that will be full of roses, tango, drama and perhaps some animation. This is my first exercise in stop motion - chopping roses's heads proved to be very relaxing and therapeutic. More scenes of goriness coming soon.

Monday 22 August 2011

I Wish I Was








I've been thinking for some time now of making a booklet of collages and maybe a pop-up book which is moveable and three-dimensional. This is my first attempt in that direction and I am quite pleased with the results.

Monday 15 August 2011

My Little Monsters

Let me introduce my new best friends: Frankie (from Frankenstein) and Principessa (meaning princess in Italian).



Since human relationship can be very difficult and disappointing I decided to create ideal companions for myself. They are soft, small, silent, accomodating and always agree with me.



They love the outdoors a lot that's why I took them for a picnic in Tivoli Park the other day.



Most of their time is spent in a red shoebox so they liked the change very much. They've came up with amazingly original ideas for this photo session.




Here is a piglet hidding and I made a dog as well for Frankie and Principessa but it is not very photogenic and today I gave it away to a human friend. There is an elephant coming soon, I hope, I am having a bit of a creative blockade.




So this is my idea on how to improve the quality of life, avoid disapointments and have fulfilling relationships.
Dear virtual friends, I will let you know if it works so you can try it too.



Monday 8 August 2011

Winter Wedding


"The spirits of the dead are in constant state of yearning".
Kazuo Ohno




The third part of my show Stitches is called Winter Wedding and was influenced by Japanese dance - Butoh, Japanese ghost stories and movies, especially Akira Kurosawa's Dreams.





Years ago I studied and performed with some Japanese Butoh dancers and that experience made a lasting impresion on me. I've been thinking about making my own version of a "ghost dance" for a long time...ghost or spirits are a popular subject in Japanese theatre and literature.





In Japanese folklore there are spirits that are kept from a peaceful afterlife because of some powerful emotions and keep returning to the physical world. For example ghosts of those who died at sea or samurai -warrior ghosts or, my favourite:), the seductress ghosts, who have a post-death love affair with a living human.




These spirits haunt a particular person or place until their purpose is fulfilled and they can move on to the afterlife. They usually appear between 2 and 3 a.m., the witching hour for Japan, when the weils between the world of the dead and the world of the living are at their thinnest.






The ghosts are represented by wearing a white kimono, which is used for funeral rituals and the hair is long, black and disheveled, they lack legs and feet and their hands dangle lifelessly from the wrists.