One could argue that we are constantly living through history. And yet there are moments when it seems we are witnessing events that will live on for generations to come. We collectively recognize these times, wait and wonder at the outcome, accept that we will emerge wholly changed on the other side. Future generations have the advantage of knowing the outcome of these moments in time while we are left to hope and surmise.
Lola Clavo spoke to us from Barcelona in November. An independent director-producer, she says the last year changed how she worked. When the pandemic began, she was working on a documentary. Instead of being with her collaborators when they filmed, they sent her footage remotely, which, she says, changed the film entirely. She provides guidance to her collaborators, but they are largely in charge of what they film. This results in some disappointments but many exciting surprises. The film began as fiction but became a documentary on the topic of female masculinity. To hear more about this film and Clavos other work, listen to the complete interview.
Kara Lynch joined us from Tulsa, Oklahoma where she is currently in her second year as a Tulsa artist fellow. For the duration of the fellowship, she receives studio space, housing and a monthly stipend. When she applied, she of course had no idea that there would be a global pandemic when she arrived. The fellowship proved a welcome safety net and allowed her to work on an elegy to a mother and son who were lynched in Oklahoma in 1911. To hear more about this work, her fellowship period and more, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
The world holds its breath.
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews is here.
Books to Read
What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. Praxis user Per Forsström reccomends Francis Bacon in Your Blood by Michael Peppiatt and Warhol by Blake Gopnik
Deadlines:
S+T+ARTS invites artists to submit their for consideration for one of two €20,000 prizes. In addition to a cash award, selected artists will be prominently featured at Ars Electronica and other events of the consortium partners BOZAR, Waag, INOVA+, T6 Ecosystems, French Tech Grande Provence and Frankfurter Buchmesse. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for submissions is March 2.
Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists and the most recent (2021) is Making it in the Art World.