Recently, a magical thing happened: I received some constructive feedback from local artist/VJ/MacKenzie friend (etc.) Erin Gee, who called this ATM editor on our lack of attention and recognition to the artists whose visual art work makes up the "projection" part of "music and projection-based performance"... With that in mind, I would like to start to look at a few of the VJs whose collaborative work makes this phenomenon possible. I'd love to hear about/recognize more of them, so please share more links and names with the rest of us!
But first, a word about the practice of VJing:
As Erin noted, VJing is a largely misunderstood and often unrecognized field. Wikipedia describes a VJ as: "a performance artist who creates moving visual art (often video) on large displays or screens, often at events such as concerts, nightclubs and music festivals, and usually in conjunction with other performance art. This results in a live, multimedia performance that can include music, actors or dancers as well as live and pre-recorded video."
Carrie Gates provides an informative and useful article in "Vague Terrain 09: The Rise of the VJ". As Gates notes,
"The energy behind the growing practice of audiovisual performance is intriguing; what is it that sparks the passions for creators and theorists working within this art form? The diversity of the concepts, techniques, and aesthetic qualities is remarkable, suggesting that this practice is not rooted in any one particular mindset, but instead, emerges from a wide range of trajectories that are converging within a contemporary form of media based performance art. However, live video mixing performances certainly address a hunger for immersive and synaesthetic sensory experiences where aural and visual elements work together to create a whole that is something beyond the sum of the parts. To experience the live performance of a talented VJ (or live cinema artist, if you prefer) alongside the talent of an innovative sound artist is a treat indeed; the senses are enveloped and the mind is tantalized into a world being spun into existence on the spot. Perhaps it is this feeling of immediacy and immersion that is so rewarding for performers and audiences alike. Perhaps it is the intense bombardment of the senses that does it. Or perhaps it is the richness of the dialogue between technology, spatial architecture, and human expression that speaks to us so powerfully."
Gates claims that "the social and the historical dimensions of live audiovisual performance are also interactive, as VJs engage in dialogue not only with audiences, but also with history, technology, and other creators."
With the exhibition Projections: A major survey of projection-based works in Canada, 1964-2007 coming to the MacKenzie in February (opening February 14, with the opening reception on February 27), the history (past, present and future) of projection-based art is a hot topic on the minds of MacKenzie staff and friends. VJing will clearly mark a large and important part of both the connection to history and other media, but also to the future of projection-based art.
Returning to the catalyst for this 'conversation,' one of the musical artists mentioned in Michael Dawson's article is Final Fantasy. Wavelength, (a weekly live music series based in Toronto) featured a show with Final Fantasy on April 8, 2008, which included a listing of bios for projection-artists Stephanie Comilang and Zeesy Powers. (Listed below). Comilang is a frequent collaborator with Final Fantasy. Click here to watch the music video by Comilang and Jamie Shannon (for Final Fantasy song "This Lamb Sells Condos". For more information about the video and collaboration, look here. If you are interested in seeing more of Comilang's work, visit her YouTube channel.
We will continue to seek out information about VJs and projection-based art, but any feedback you, dear reader, might have would be greatly appreciated.
Stay tuned for more Projections-related info and links!
Stephanie Comilang is a romantic and realist who lives and works in Toronto. She completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at the Ontario College of Art and Design and has since been in collaboration with a number of artists. On her completion of school, she started touring Europe and North America extensively with Final Fantasy accompanying Owen Pallett and his violin with live shadows and drawings on the overhead projector. Together they have played both garages with mattresses as seating and big Scandinavian concert halls. She most recently directed a meta-trilogy of music videos for Final Fantasy, which can be seen on TV and your computer. Stephanie has also collaborated with experimental theatre company Mammalian Diving Reflex on Diplomatic Immunities researching and presenting in Lahore, Pakistan for the World Performing Arts Festival last November. She is working out logistics for their next collaboration entitled Parkdale vs. Queen West. She is currently mapping out a puppet show about growing up with an Elvis impersonator father entitled Children of the King.
Zeesy Powers is a visual and performance artist and long-time collaborator of Katie Stelmanis, working together on such projects as The Beast and beginningmiddleend for FADO's emerging artists series. The light organ is her first foray into collaborative musical electronics. This fall will see the premier of their newest collaboration, The Ghost, a projection performance epic based on cartoons, the Bible and 8-bit video games. Zeesy maintains a website at zeesypowers.com, where she occasionally spills the beans.
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