Although well underway, it’s time for me to start writing publicly about my thesis process, both project and paper. It has undergone many changes since my original proposal last year, though the themes and participant group remains the same.
Working title: Of Self and Home: Portraits of Queer Youth
Format: HD video installation
Project website: http://www.hexa.net/selfhome/
Summary: Of Self and Home is an experimental documentary artwork created with queer youth who have experienced homelessness, which combines painting with video and personal narrative.
Process: Using a custom-built, portable apparatus that holds a piece of clear Plexiglas, each person paints a self-portrait, which is video recorded from the other side. Free to interpret ‘self-portrait’ however s/he wishes, each participant gets one sheet of Plexiglas and, using acrylic paints (with added retardant to slow drying), can make several paintings, washing them off in between, until satisfied with one. All ‘takes’ will be recorded using a Panasonic HVX 200 video camera.
Informal interviews are conducted with each person, during which we discuss what it means to be young, queer and struggling to live in Toronto. These sessions will be recorded (audio only) and edited with the participant’s painting video for the exhibition. Participants are encouraged to contribute other audio, if desired, such as an original song, poem, or musical performance.
Portraits and audio will be collected and composed into a multi-channel video installation (with a possible interactive component if it enhances the work) that will be exhibited in a Toronto art gallery June 2009. Participants will be able to keep their final painting after the exhibition.
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