Everybody needs a little...

Anastasya — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 03:44:17 +0000

最近、日本語で書かないから、気が悪い。日本語で、ペラペラになるために、毎日、日本語を使ったり、漢字を書いたり、日本人と話したりしなきゃ。でも、日本語で話すことは難しくてこわいだと思っている。

このごろ、授業が素晴らしくなっている。トマシ先生は、とてもいい先生だって、頭がいい。

Anna II: The Persona

Anastasya — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 10:27:02 +0000

In an attempt to deal with the stress of moving to a new town and beginning graduate school, Anna starts keeping a video diary. When she is plagued by intense, vivid dreams, she becomes obsessed with the strange stairwell that leads to her basement closet. She hears scratching and is convinced something is living in there, however, during the day there is nothing, and she can’t tell if she’s imagining it or if there is actually something down there. Using an amateurish vlog aesthetic, through the medium of Youtube, Anna II: The Persona provides the audience a means of engaging with, and influencing, the narrative.

This element of the project was very interesting, because the story developed with the character. There was actual interaction with viewers, and I had to perform as Anna in more ways than other media ask for. This was my first experiment with the medium of Youtube, and I think there will be more in the future.

Anna

Anastasya — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 10:22:36 +0000

My biggest problem when I first came to film school (I guess it is still a problem), was that I have never made a narrative of any sort. I’ve never written a screenplay, or a short story, or anything. I used to make up lots of stories, but that was when I was 10, and they didn’t really have any structure. I am very interested in telling stories, and I am also interested in working in multiple media. So as an attempt at learning how to tell a story, I did my 4 piece Anna project.

I mentioned it briefly in a previous post. But it is all finished now, and has been documented.

Here is part one, my first exploration of the character, Anna: Anna I: The Memory

http://vimeo.com/18891786

Updating

Anastasya — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 07:31:23 +0000

Unfortunately the break provided me with lack of computer, internet and motivation. It did provide me with this, however:

Now that I am back in Iowa, I am getting my shit together, and will be posting stuff about my project(s) from last semester. I am currently uploading things to Vimeo. There will be updates soon. Promise. In the mean time, enjoy this: riverofthenet.

FINALS

Anastasya — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:56:38 +0000

The end of the semester is nearing. I am not sleeping. I am making, writing, reading all the time. Projects are almost done. Technical issues must still be dealt with. Stress is the best.

On that note, I will be posting many thing soon. I started doing this new thing where I actually DOCUMENT my art. (Crazy, I know!)

Videos of installations will soon be uploaded. Artist statements will soon be available to be read. Things kept secret will soon be made public.

Just you wait.

Billy Nayer Show

Anastasya — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:32:37 +0000

I want to see this movie.

Kitchen Sink

Anastasya — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 06:47:44 +0000

YouTube

Anastasya — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 03:19:27 +0000

Sorry I am so completely horrible at updating my blog. I always forget about it, or think, today wasn’t very exciting, I’ll just wait until tomorrow. Which turns into a week. Or month… I’ll say I’ll try to be better, but I won’t believe it. Oh well.

But this brings me to my life right now. Which is making things, or thinking really hard about making things. The making will happen soon. There’s going to be an installation in my apartment on November 11th. I gave out a bunch of invitations, so that’ll be incentive to actually make something. The other sort of ongoing project is a video blog (yes, right after I said how bad I am at remembering to blog).

It is Anna II: The Persona. It is a secret art piece. As in, I really hope strangers find the vlog, and start interacting with her. I would also love it if you guys would watch the videos, and give her feedback. The youtube personality is part of the larger Anna project (hence the “II”), and is her personal video diary, as she slowly goes crazy from stress and stuff. (At the end of the semester, there is going to be a sound installation that expresses(?) her disappearance.) It’s an exaggerated version of myself. This piece is for my True Fiction class, so we’re supposed to be sort of questioning the boundaries between reality and fiction. No one will really know how much of this Anna is real or fake. Maybe not even me. It’s gonna get confusing, dudes.

Only one video so far. Subscribe, or check back every once in a while. I will be updating every couple days.

Anna II: The Persona

Project(s)

Anastasya — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 05:26:53 +0000

Oddly enough, since I’ve been in grad school, I’ve felt like I’ve had more time. Unfortunately a lot of that time has been spent watching bad television shows on Netflix. Over the next couple months, though, I’ll probably have no time at all because I will be making so many different things.

I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to make here at film school, since I don’t really make films. I have been trying to decide if I should try to learn to make normal, narrative movies, or if I should continue my installation work. I’ve decided upon a mix. Since I’ve never written a script, or come up with a story, or a character, or anything, that’s where I am starting.

I had all these weird nightmare, hallucination things when I first moved here, because my room is really creepy. I wanted to make an installation about that. But I didn’t know what the reason would be, then I started to develop a story and character that interacts with the space. For all my little projects due over the next two months, I am creating a larger project, entitled Anna. It consists of:

A short history of Anna’s childhood and family, told through her own voice over and her family’s old home movies.
A youtube video diary, through which Anna communicates her story (I won’t give you spoilers).
A surrealist sound installation in my apartment.
A ten minute video and soundscape.

None of these things will be easy. But if I can pull them off, the final product will be well worth it.

Brevity

Anastasya — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 08:34:01 +0000

I’d like to give a real summary of the WiP festival at some point, but I have too many things to do at the moment. Here is the time-lapse video of the installation I did:

The piece was not at all about the actual drawing, or the art object; instead it was about the temporality, discussion and interactivity inherent in the piece. It was kind of a failure, but it was kind of perfect. I have a lot of favorite moments.

In other news, I got Shirin Neshat’s film Women Without Men to play at the Bijou, starting Friday! So excited!