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FERRANIA: video (staged performance) & Installation
"FERRANIA: the Danish Fragments (15/27/9/16b/29)" is a video (staged performance) & Installation collaborated work by Julia Collura and Richard Launder. Assisted and filmed by MA student Ane Sagatun summer 2007.
Pink Apparition, Julia Collura 2007
Richard Launder (London, New York & Bergen) and Julia Collura (New York & London) collaborated as invited artists in residence as a part of the Collaborative Relations Symposium at the International Ceramic Research Center/Guldagergård, DK, July 2007.
Although they are collaborators in life, this was their first collaborative artwork. Representing performance from the differing positions of Theatre (Collura) and Art (Launder), they entered this process without prior discussion or plan, with the aim of linking performance with various mediums and technology, bringing their own thoughts and sketches/props/costumes/suggestions and experiences.
Through an initial brainstorming discussion, followed by a successful sourcing trip to the local charity shop, a fragmented narrative began to emerge, sparked by the suitably strange find of a light box (manufactured by the photo company Ferrania, based in Ferrania, Italy). The focus of the work was an interactive dialogue of art/theatre performance; staged video/photo, both in studio and on location; articulating materials and process (clay/ceramic, wood, metal...) together with found and manipulated ready mades, objects and costumes.
Social and cultural critique along with humor and various “Dark Matter” phenomena formed the core concepts of the piece, which included commentary on environmental issues and societal pressures of beauty. Barbie dolls (manipulated with either extremely kitsch sweet colors or earthy clay) formed a link between the disparate worlds of “Clay Persona” (Launder totally costumed and masked with dripping clay) and “Pink Apparition”(Collura wigged out in a Hairspray turquoise/frilly pink petticoat combo).
Clay Persona - Richard Launder 2007.
An experiential approach resulted in a large, acutely detailed, installation (8 m x 6 m x 6m), as well as a separate video work (in the final editing stage) The Danish minister of culture, Brian Mikkelsen gave an opening address for the group exhibition: Collaborative Relations (Aug/ Sept 2007), with artists from: DK, S, USA, UK. The installation consisted of:
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An integrated video (staged and performed by Launder/Collura, filmed by Sagatun, edited by Collura),
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A re-working of the on-site raw clay landscape (staged and videoed in a creek) shadowed by a suggestion of “Clay Persona”.
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A reconstruction of the built and carved brick baroque palace (on wheels) of “Pink Apparition” (staged set) with remnants of “Pink Apparition”.
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Interactive props from various staged scenes.
This collaborative, ongoing work will re-emerge at future locations, as further fragments are un-earthed.
Detail of installation 2007.
Selected materials: Danish sweets, Barbie dolls, plastic tablecloth/bag, aluminum foil, chicken wire, drinking straws, enamel baking dishes, architectural fragments, potter’s turntable & ware cart, clay/unfired and fired brick (sponsored Lundby Teglværk).
A sampling of music from video: Boy George Culture Club: You Spin Me Right Round; Vin Scialla: Queen Saidi; Wimme Saari, solo joik: Father...
Thanks: Ann Linderman Director & staff International Ceramic Research Center DK, Project funds KHiB N,
About the collaborative partners Richard Launder: Artist: installation, sculpture, performance; ceramic/video/photo/various mediums; contextually related practice. Julia Collura: Theatre/Musical Theatre director, Musician, Drama practitioner and lecturer.
There will be a screening and lecture will be part of the "Art in Urban Context" lecture series Fall 2008.
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