monoloqueArt - Encounters

website: all monologues: http://jayrechsteiner.com/monoloqueart.htm The initial concept of monolqueArt was an on-going exploration of artistic practice and practitioners in the form of intimide and personal encounters with artists, focusing mainly on the person behind the portrayed artist rather than what is usually written in catalogues, book etc. about the artist. However, during the process of working on monoloqueArt a much more important aspect / element has appeared: a deeply moving encounter between the artist (subject, volunteer) and myself filming the monologue with up to four cameras. The significance of the project lies in a simple (and probably a bit pathetic) message relating to the importance of getting to know one another in order to understand and hence accept, love. In my personal experience I have come to love some of the art works that I did not much care about before the encounter. I think such intensive encounters help to connect to one another. It is a small start, a drop in the sea of maybe a better world or a an idea of a better world. (Now please... I know this sounds pathetic... but I actually believe what I have written here...). In a world in which communication is more and more based on a growing number of social networks, making true and real encounters are becoming a rare commodity. The project is connected to previous research based projects such as the Washsroom Projects, zeiTraum and the Washroom Talks. A series/ collecection of video monologues by artists explores the people behind the portrayed artists, the core of their creation and the very reason why they do what they do. Each monoloque is filmed with up to four cameras whereas the quality of each camera is different representing different view points, points of perspective and modes of observation. Editing the footage is like creating a painting or sculpture. There is a deep process happening, a permenant interplay between conscious and subconscious, intellect and emotion that manifests itself in video monologues. The artist becomes the source for artistic creation whereas the viewer is now in the position of the creator, the artist. I attempt to reverse / change the usual 'one-way dialogue' between the artist/the work and the viewer. Some of the monologues are far too long for a normal audience. I am not trying to create entertainment here (although there needs to be an entertainment value otherwise nobody gives any attention to it) but simply focus on letting the artist talk freely. I am not intervening, just filming. Important note re the term editing: When I use the word editing, I do not refer to cutting the footage as I want to show everything the subject has to say. Editing refers to put the film together using different footage by different cameras filming the same monologue. Footage monologues Some of the footage is hardly edited and can be longer than the so-called entertainment value allows. It is my objective NOT to intervene too much. A monologue is ideally not longer than ten minutes. However, as I do not want to restrict the artists (the subjects, volunteers), I have decided to keep some of the footage hardly edited (except for the titles). There is an element of anti-mass media entertainment that keeps us zombified as I would like to put it. It is possbile to film more than one monologue per person. Every encounter is different and so is every monologue, every film in terms of length, format and content. monologues I tend not to edit too much in terms of constructing the monologue using the different footage from different cameras: When the artist is working on a piece of work while holding a monologue monologues I tend to edit: When the artist is NOT working on a piece of work while holding a monologue website: all monologues: http://jayrechsteiner.com/monoloqueart.htm