Irina Novarese (Italy)
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Interview: 10 questions
1. Tell me something about your life and educational background
I’ve studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Turin. In 2000 I moved to Berlin, where I’m living since. In Berlin I went to the master study “Art in Contextâ€, which I finished this summer with my thesis about identity, memory, facts, and fiction connected to photography (the video I’ve sent to CologneOff is one part of this research).
Active as artist since 1998.
2. When, how and why did you start filming?
During my studies at the Academy of Arts I started to work with videos, especially with documentaries about arts and architecture (in collaboration with the Museum for contemporary art, Castello di Rivoli, and for a public art project in Turin, for the renovation of the Fergat old factory).
Almost at the same time, as complement to my artistic work, I started to film because I was fascinated by the digital technology and the possibilities of the image in motion. In the following, I made also different videos specifically about the perception of the digital image.
3. What are the subjects of your films?
I work with videos parallel to my installations, following the same themes:
I realized different videos about the idea of memory and identity, connected to found materials, and the perception of reality of a subject through the digital technology. The other main focus is on architecture, with many interdisciplinary works together with architect groups about utopia cities (e.g. the project Velo-City, realized for the X Biennale of architecture in Venice).
4. How do you develop your films, do you follow certain principles, styles etc?
The only principle I always follow is to use the digital as digital and, if it’s in theme, to show and use its special esthetic character. Usually I’m working more on the cut, preserving the quality of the recorded image, and acting often on the time of the image.
5. Tell me something about the technical equipment you use.
I don’t use anything special: a 3CCD camera, sometimes lights (but I like the possibilities of the camera itself). To work on the cutting I use programs like Final Cut.
6. What are the chances of new media for the genre film/video in general
and for you personally?
I think that the digital technology offers the possibility to work on a different level of perception (also very different from film) and it gives us the chance to work experimentally in a very easy way (not last because it’s a quite cheap material).
7. How do you finance your films?
With my work as an artist (my films are not really expensive).
8. Do you work individually as a video artist/film maker or do you work in a team?
If you have experience in both, what is the difference, what do you prefer?
For the concept of the film, I normally work individually, sometimes I look for assistance (for camera, light, etc…). I worked in teams for documentary as well as for experimental films. The difference is the possibility to think about a subject with one or many brains together, like in all projects. Generally it’s more difficult to work in a team because the esthetic point of view is not easy to agree upon with others. When you work on your own, this problem doesn’t arouse until the film is shown, and though the perception of the observer is always important in this very moment, it is no more decisive for the structure of your work.
9. Who or what has a lasting influence on your film/video making?
I can’t say exactly because I see my films as a prosecution of my work as installation- artist. Surely the music videos and the experimental video art of the 90s made me realize the possibilities of using particular and geometrical inserts in the structure of video. But the esthetic component of the image is more likely to be influenced by wdirectors of cinema than by video artists.
10. What are your future plans or dreams as a film/video maker?
I started to experiment with speed camera and I would like to realize video only for the web, because for me it’s important to distinguish the observation context of a video. Most of my videos are part of an installation, so I’m not interested to show them out of context.
Can works of yours viewed online besides on VideoChannel? Where?
List some links & resources