Friday 27 July 2012

Eleni Mettyear







Shut.Your.Mouth

Performance artist Petr Pavlensky sewed up his mouth on Monday in protest of women's treatment by the Russian justice system. He stood in front of St. Petersburg Kazan Cathedral holding a banner reading 'Pussy Riot act is a replay of a famous act by Jesus Christ'. This was in relation to the Pussy Riot imprisonment in march.




Here is part of an interview from Dazed Digital.


DD: What did you want to say by sewing up your mouth?
Petr Pavlensky: 
Sewing up my mouth, I showed the situation of the contemporary artist in Russia, living in an environment where there's a ban on publicity, the tightening of censorship and suppression of public statements in contemporary art. The whole story around Pussy Riot is a demonstrative example of this, carrying out the ritual punishment of young girls. This process is entirely demonstration in character, aiming to intimidate and keep society at bay.
DD: Can you describe what young people think of Russia’s political situationPetr Pavlensky: Young people are dominated by a desire to protest and somehow change the situation, but the fear for themselves and their families is stronger.
DD: We read you were taken to hospital. What was the reaction of the authorities like?
Petr Pavlensky: The police didn’t know what to do with me. I didn’t answer their questions and didn’t respond to their demands to produce documents. They called an ambulance. And took me to the psychiatric examination (psychiatrists recognised me sane). In terms of the people, they expressed support, as [I was fighting] a problem that concerns many in Russia.


Sunday 15 July 2012

Double.Exposure.Yes.Please

Hello Meg Sharp 









DD: The effect of double exposure features a lot in your work, why the interest in this technique?
Meg Sharp:
 It's such a fun and exciting way to get something totally unique. With the rise of Instagram it's hard for anyone to do anything different. I really enjoy not knowing what will happen, although this does sometimes result in a ruined film or photo shoot, but that is the nature of shooting on film too. I also find it a great way to say something about the musicians and their music; I can layer an image of them with another image that I think represents their music.

Quote from dazed digital