Brenda L Burmeister

SxSw Take Away

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 20:56:57 +0000

Here at the end os SxSw, my brain jammed packed with innovatively hyped apps and info-bytes, my luggage over flowing with free T-shirts, I want to log the top 5 things I learned before the awaiting list of to-dos at home inudate my to forgetfullness.

1) Story, Story, Story, and sometimes make it a little messy.

“Magnetic” is an experimental documentation of lost wreckage in Manitoba (someone fact check that for me, please). It is memorably intense, as the narrator adds VO comments about exploration, the wreckage, and aroroa lights. Its a good story. However, the clenching moment is when the story gets a little messy- when the narrator incongruently add the details ” and I miss the smell of my son’s hair”. Life is complex, and when we simplify the stories it makes the artwork too slick, too simple, and nothing to hook the audience (as in Golden Sparrow”

2) Put all your $ into the first 30 seconds of your film

“Endless Day” begins with a black and white shot of a diver, then an aquarium, then a bedroom. This sets the tone dramatically for the ongoing intensity of sleepless nights, and are some of the most memorable shots of the film.

3) Be Grateful……….

Thank the audience for coming, smile at all the volunteers. Nothing is worse than the artist who ignores how they got to the festival in the first place.

4)Know When to say No………….

Slomo”, a documentary about a neologist who dropped out of the rat race to skate on Venice beach utilized a 360 camera while the dude was skating. Did it help me understand Slomo more? No, the two minute shot shifted my focus onto the technology not onto Slomo, and made the film feel like a film makers masterabtory fantasy. “Slomo” was a festival winner, but one did have to ask if it beat “New Dave” mainly because of it’s use of the latest whiz bangs and not it’s ability to tell a good story. “The OtherDave” was low tech, low budget, but complex, portrait of a man whose life is changed after being struck by lightening.

The comparison of these two documentary shorts reveal another suggestion that the panelist often equated with good storytelling- getting emotional. In “Slomo” (which is showing at Full Frame), the main character is also the story teller, and yet he never gets vulnerable, which decidedly makes it difficult to care about his life choice to drop out of the rat race. Sometimes, you just need to say “No” to the latest tech effect.

5) Know when to Say Goodbye……

“We lived in Miami” is a great example of a short they may have lingered in it’s monotone of sad languish. However, the directory knew when to say goodbye, and how to end with a simple yet effective twist leaving the whole film on a tenuous note. I won’t give way what happens, but it it worth tracking the film maker down to linger with her for a bit.

Journey

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 05:15:30 +0000

Life is always journey, big and small

Co- Lab

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 13:09:01 +0000

Co-Lab= Community Collaboration

Motherhood has made me more passionate about creating work that has a more community and global impact, and spawned work I call Co-Lab (Community Collaborative). As an artist, it is thrilling to see the public interact with my artwork, even more exciting to bring my projects to persons that may not normally experience it. Moreover, allowing the public to help create the artwork with me allows me to invite chaos into my highly controlled concepts. The following work will help you get an idea of what I mean by Co-Lab.

Unfinished, a personal and public exploration

A community collaborative art performance that engages the public, encouraging participation in the creative process. Participants will have the opportunity to help complete art projects that have been left unfinished by local artist. The participants can also choose to explore the reasons for their own unfinished projects and/or to participate in a film that will expound upon such. This project is currently in preproduction and is slated for installment in 2012.

1,000 Paper Cranes

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 12:35:36 +0000

1,000 Paper Cranes

1,000 Paper Cranes, community art project, 2011

A collaborative community art project, in conjunction with the San Antonio Museum of Art which partnered with local San Antonio organizations including The Cibolo Nature Area, The Asia Pacific Heritage Festival at the Pearl Brewery, and the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas to teach the public about the orgami folding method and the symbolic meaning behind 1,000 Cranes These handmade made cranes were hung in the San Antonio Museum of Art courtyard as an art installation.

Installing Cranes at San Antonio Musuem of Art, pretending I am not terrified of heights.

Captain of My Own Boat

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 12:29:34 +0000

Captain of My Own Boat- 2011-2012

“Captain of My Own Boat” 2012, video, 7 minutes, a crowd sourced video considering the existential nature of what we can and cannot control in our lives. However, we contend to exact management while being naïve about the forces which work against our attempts. The community was invited to interpret the phrase “I am the captain of my own boat” with a ship in a bottle as a prop. The video juxtaposes the serious interpretation of the song “What Shall we do with a Drunken Sailor” by David Keen and a sober quote from Elizabeth Cady Stanton with shots of a farcical attempt to put a toy boat together, and a wide range of re-enactments by the community.

From Blooms to Blogs

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 12:19:18 +0000

From Blooms to BL\logs: Social Media for COmmunity Gardens June 2012

This is a talk I gave to the community for Green Spaces Alliance.

communitygardens33

Creating Calamity

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:23:39 +0000

How many ladies does it take to flood my kitchen? It takes 2, but I should have chosen 3. Nothing like creating disasters with friends- so when the batteries ran out, when the deadline of school pickup fast approached, when the garden hose needed to be replaced with a latex hose (yes, like a condom), or when my arm just gave out- it was all laughter and sex jokes. Thanks to my friend Kim McDonald and her jack-of-all-trades ingenuity, in two short hours and two trips to the ever-not-helpful Home Depot, we were able to recreate controlled calamity for my recent video “More”, which is a one shot video, no loops. Next time, I will make sure to have a fourth lady to do the “Making of” video and capture all the jokes on tape! But for now, you can enjoy the video we did make-

Wordy Wednesday- Volenteered

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 12:36:32 +0000

Volunteered…..as in

She slowly learned not to volunteer any superfluous details or ideas, since they all would be turned into daggers against her.

Wordy Wednesday-Sprocket

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 02:42:41 +0000

Wednesday Word of the Day-

Sprocket as in

Her day fell out of sync the way a film’s sprockets may become unaligned from the teeth of the gear- ordinary kept happening but with an awkward gait.

The Label Me Project

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:35:31 +0000

The Label Project- June 2012

The label Project was staged in 2012 as a multi-media adventure. The public was asked to wear a QR code, and to find others wearing different codes. There were 10 different codes and the object was to find all the codes. Each QR code led the participants to different websites which contained art around different aspects of labeling. Moreover, the participants were encouraged to leave comments on the websites to create an online discussion about labeling.

This is an example of the art on the websites

The Teaching Aspect of the Label Me Project March 2012

I adjusted the “Label Me” Project to address issues specific to the girls, which could be explored in a 2 hours setting with no technology. I was amazed by the girls willingness to get up and run around sticking labels to each other, as directed by a teacher they just met. Even more, I was amazed by the girl that stuck herself with the Crazy label, proclaiming proudly that she was glad she was crazy, and saw no negative in the word whatsoever. You go, Girl!

With special Thanks to Jinny Frost (the Sticker-Mistress), and to the artist Giovanna Carrola contributing artwork, to Sabrina Burmeister for being a sounding board, and finally to Kim McDonald and Katherine Goddard for their constant moral support.