Laura Cabrera
Spanish videomaker
biography
Interview: 10 questions
1. Tell me something abaut your life and the educational background
I was born in 1947 in a small town, Cáceres, Spain. I lived 12 years in Buenos Aires, where I studied Fine Arts, majored in Sculpture and Engraving, returned to Spain and I live in Madrid. I was Professor of Education in fine arts. And I did exhibitions of painting for 25 years. Now I am retired and have made 21 video art from five years ago.
2. When, how and why started you filming?
In 2005 I helped my sister to make a video art. Then, from 2009, with some friends took some lessons with a tutor assembly. And I kept making videos since 2009 with my sister because it makes me intensely live this art of motion pictures.
3. What kinds of topics have your films?
My films are often about issues of the inner world, experiences like death, the dance of life and death, psychological and personal issues. Also ecological and social, but with a personal look.
4. How do you develop your films, do you follow certain principles, styles, etc?
Born intuition, feelings and experiences, the translate into loose drawings, and leaves a topic for a video art, not a temporary script or moving images or drawings or reverse shots, just a picture of each sequence. Filmed sequences and then working them going in the assembly, adjusting my the fundamental issue. The more time and effort you use in assembly. I really filmed images of travel, or events that have interested me above in a file, which will choosing and mixing in the assembly, according to the domestic needs of the topic of video art I’m doing. It takes about two or three months to assemble. I’m going with the camera at many places, especially in my travels. My principles are to be authentic, not away from my feelings.
5. Tell me sometjing abaut the technical equipment you use.
-Utilizo small video camera Sony, and mount the MAC and Final Cut X, only computer program. I use a lot Chroma technique to change the backgrounds, the space where my figures move. I have in my house installed a small place a small place of filming chromakey green background. I use solar lighting, nor have light bulbs. It’s all very elementary.
6. These days digital technology is dominating also video as a medium. In which way the digital aspect is entering the creation of your videos, technologically and/or conceptually?
I want the technique is not so important in my videos but express the theme, the content is essentially, the técnida is so subordinate, depending on the content. Although I am now making a video art with the theme: virtual reality. Come into my life virtual, reality is increasingly virtual, the human being is ubiquitous, it can be in many places at once, space and time vanishes, feels transparency, it is eliminating public and private, individual and collective, interior and exterior, are eliminated the contradictions and the person feels anonymously globalization of communications. Now I’m invented images to express these experiences of human beings today, a digital human.
7. How do you finance your films?
I make videos with my sister. Finanzación not have. Only our salaries of retirees. All paid us. No derive revenue with our videos. We make them for art’s sake. We ship videos to cultural festivals that do not pay compensation. Video art is not valued economically. Only the videos of very famous artists.
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?
To film work with my sister and assembly do alone. The protagonists of our videos, sometimes, we ourselves or pay someone or call our friends and acquaintances.
I prefer to assemble the video myself. The music is by musician friends. I like that work, uncrowded.
9. Who or what has a lasting influence on your film/video maker?
Poetry, visual art, theater, music, film, events, all lived. In almost all my videos the protagonists are unreal spaces, real spaces are filmed elsewhere and transported, transmuted, like a waterfall, sea, sky, cloud, walk around my characters. What remains is a reality / unreality.
10. What are your future plans or dreams as a film/video maker?
My plans are to keep doing what I do, investigating the visual technician this art to express my world language, ad Make all video to give me time. My dreams are to have more space and technical means for film and pay people to help me.
Can works of yours viewed online besides on the CologneOFF platform? Where?
List some links & resources
My videos are on YouTube, Vimeo, and in Festivals.
Acercamientos. 7’58”, 2014. Laura y Sira Cabrera
http://youtu.be/mTpDQuJZNXE
“Irreconciliables, IIâ€. 3′ 49”, 2014. Laura y Sira Cabrera
http://youtu.be/VjySz85vT9E
“Irreconciliables, 1â€. 2’54”, 2014. Laura y Sira Cabrera.
http://youtu.be/B9bQc0ld-zg
Ensueño. 7’06”. 28-5-2013 Laura y Sira Cabrera
http://vimeo.com/69830420 contraseña: ensueño12345
Deshabitarse. 3’18” 2012 Laura y Sira Cabrera
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APBkSylOeqI
“Tecno-Naturaâ€. 9’33”. 2012. Laura y Sira Cabrera
http://youtu.be/grzE6OSdMBk
“Revolverâ€. 4’43†2-11-2011. Laura Cabrera e Isabel Corullón
http://youtu.be/oInGI09cs24
Revolverse (I). 2’13” 2012 Laura Cabrera
http://youtu.be/cPw-Del14EI
Revolverse II 3’54” 2011 Laura y Sira Cabrera
http://vimeo.com/39225598 contraseña: revolverse12345
“Revolutio†(0). 6′ 02” 2012 Laura Cabrera DÃaz, voz: Isabel Corullón Paredes
http://youtu.be/B4wvQ0fACtE
“Revolutioâ€. 14’12” 2011 Laura Cabrera, voz: Isabel Corullón
http://youtu.be/uHXKtq3jMm8
Ritual a los árboles. 6′ 04” 2011 Laura Cabrera DÃaz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wf-_hYEI5Q
Ãrbol-Viento. 4’16” 2009 Laura Cabrera DÃaz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh_ZWqFKNu4
Llanto-Risa. 9’51” 2010 Laura Cabrera DÃaz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyRaIXwjQVg
Ãrbol-mujer-Hilo. 4’25” 2009 Laura Cabrera DÃaz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3LbSkoXlNo
Viaje a las ausencias. 3’47” 2011 Laura y Pedro Cabrera DÃaz 3’47”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTulXryXU60
Libro Viaje. 3’30” 2011 Laura Cabrera DÃaz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HrtqRQlKm0
CaperuZita roja. 4’25” 2009 Laura y Sira Cabrera DÃaz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPG6aKxyYMY
Cinta roja (Tres en Suma). 5’48” 2010 Laura y Pedro Cabrera DÃaz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkulF972egQ
Eros 5’40” 2005 Laura y Sira Cabrera DÃaz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UMkzVkteho
Revolver. 2′ 55” 2011 Laura Cabrera e Isabel Corullón
http://youtu.be/XwuCRVpabuA
Ãrbol-Humano. 11′ 2009 Laura Cabrera y Yann DÃaz Doizy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXKkOYzgIJc