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We sat down to talk about the digitalizing of photography, high heels, flying fish, looking with two eyes, air plants, and the journeys we’ve all made to get where we are today.

Houston-based artist and educator Bennie Flores Ansell creates bewitching installations that imitate organic swarms or storms overtaking gallery walls, while making use of discarded slide film, shadow, and hidden imagery only visible up close. This spring, the artist will take over the ICA’s Bank of America Art Lab with an interactive art installation inspired by her relationships to analog photography, current political events, the old trope “a fish out of water,” and her Filipina heritage. We sat down to talk with Ansell about the digitalizing of photography, high heels, flying fish, looking with two eyes, air plants, and the journeys we’ve all made to get where we are today.

You have said that your work is “revealing the photographic object with light.” Could you tell us a little bit about that?

There was an art historian from San Antonio, Frances Colpitt, doing a studio visit with me, and she noticed this image that I had pinned up – these two silhouettes of the backs of high heels. I saw that image on the back of a magazine and I scanned it in, blew it up, and would just look at it. She said, “Something’s happening here. What’s going on there?” And I said, “I don’t know I just liked it. I liked the form, I liked the color, I liked what was going on.” She said “Do something there.” So I started photographing high heel shoes. At the time my daughters were about 5 and 6. I thought about how they would wear my heel heeled shoes, sort of pigeon toed. So I started photographing them that way.  Then when I starting gridding them on the computer, and on the studio wall, they started looking like bugs and butterflies. I thought, “Well let’s print them on transparency film,” and I started making butterfly collections. Then I started installing them by the thousands on the wall.

It started with that project with the butterflies. The photograph is not the thing itself. I think about the evolution of photography a lot in my work, as well as the photographic object and how that’s going away. I am working on a body of work where I’m taking the analog discarded slide film, which is now trash, and I’m deconstructing it. I’m cutting off the sprocket holes on the bottom and the top and then I’m using them in installations on the wall. I’m also stringing them up to mimic compression.

I was thinking about sprockets being obsolete. The purpose of the sprockets was to move film through a camera, and now we don’t need that with digital. So I started cutting them up and blowing them around with a hairdryer, videotaping them, giving them movement again, sort of one last hurrah. It’s sort of sacrilegious for a photographer to touch film, but it feels good. And when I cut the sprocket holes – you can just stick your hands in. It feels nice to just touch them even though you’re not supposed to.

It’s interesting that there’s something on the negative, but then you are creating something very sculptural with them. It definitely invites people to experience the object in two different ways. Being far away and then coming close and observing.

Exactly, that is what I love about these installations. It’s a reverse pixilation. Usually when you’re up close you can’t see it. But with my work from far away you can’t see it. From up close you can tell what each individual image is. I find it exciting that that’s happening with the work.

What do you think about the relationship between photography and sculpture?

As a kid I used to love picture books where you could feel things. I think my work is very tactile; I’m a very haptic photographer. I do my work in the dark room, but I also need to something in the studio. I need to touch it, I need to manipulate it. I think installation work has done that for me. I’m able to create this space that gets walked into—something gets seen, and then something else gets seen. I really love that. The object of the photograph is now sculptural in some ways because it exists, it’s not just light on your screen. It’s something that’s out in the world.

As a kid I used to love picture books where you could feel things. I think my work is very tactile; I’m a very haptic photographer.

Tell us about what you’re planning for the Bank of America Art Lab at the ICA.

When I do an installation I have no preconceived idea of what I’m doing to do until I get there and see the lighting and the walls. When Monica Garza, ICA Director of Education, asked me to put a proposal together for this project, she said, “Just think about the word journey,” because of the other shows going on at the time, such as Nari Ward: Sun Splashed. I thought, “Well, the biggest journey I’ve taken in my life was from the Philippines to the United States when I was 6 months old.” I’m still an immigrant, even though I’m as American as anyone else. Thinking about that, and thinking also about everything that’s going on right now in politics, as well as the refugees being displaced, I thought, “Well, they’re sort of like fish out of water.” And then I thought, “There are fish that are comfortable being out of water.” I thought maybe I would do something with that.

The biggest journey I’ve taken in my life was from the Philippines to the United States when I was 6 months old.

I started doing some research and I found out that in the Philippines there a festival called “Bangsi.” That’s the Tagalog word for flying fish. I was thinking about what projects I could do that would be hands on, and whether visitors could make work in a way similar to what I do. Right now, I am making stencils out of wood with a laser cutter, so that kids can hold them and see the shape. There will be three sizes, and from April to September visitors to the ICA will use them to build this swarm. What I want them to do, in terms of thinking about how we’re all immigrants, is to write somewhere on their flying fish where their family first came from. I’m excited to see it take place. We’re also going to put lights on the installation, so shadows will be cast on the wall, which is a big part of my work as well.

What do you think is the role of art and artists during times of political duress?

I think we need to address things. I think we need to say something.  My work has always been about identity politics. I think I feel like I have been somebody of two halves. I look one way. I am the other way. I think about what’s projected onto me, that my English is good, whatever that means. I think that also has to do with all of my work, as well as the projected shadow. There’s a connection always with that too.

What inspires you in your day-to-day life?

I live in a historic home that has been modernized. My husband and I did a renovation of the house and in Houston this is very rare. It was built in 1885 and we did a renovation in 2000. It’s a lot of old and new. Again, the sort of thing with two halves. I love plants, I love flowers. I get a lot of joy from them. I’m into air plants now. It looks like one thing, but it’s something else, and they’re super tactile. So right now I’m getting a lot of joy from my home and my plants. And color. I just love color.

How did you know you wanted to be an artist?

My father is an architect. My mother is a Sunday painter. She is very much into fashion, into color. She would always point out, “look at that red,” or “look at the blue.” So I’ve always been keyed into color. They always took us to art museums, and we always looked at how things were made and designed.

Then I had a boyfriend when I was 19 who saved up money and went to Europe. So when I was 20 I said, “I’m going to do that.” I got a job waiting tables at a restaurant, and I’m glad I did, because I met my husband there. I went to Europe and at the time I thought I was going to be a Mass Communications major. I thought I wanted to be the next Connie Chung. When I was in Florence, I took this picture, I still have it. It’s these green shutters and I think my pink tank top and underwear hanging just drying in the sun, and it was just like, “Wow!” Plus, I was around all of this great art there too. It was hard not to get into that, to be inspired. I got back and took a class in MassComm, and was like “I don’t want to do this,” and I switched my major.

How do you envision younger visitors interacting with your work?

This thing about being an immigrant, how we all came from somewhere else – just to get them thinking about that. The fish out of water, and being or feeling displaced – maybe to think about that as well. I’d also like them to experience seeing the installation at different distances, which is what my work is about.

It’s interesting to think that when they’re writing where their family is from, it might bring out important or compelling conversations and stories.

They should ask. They should know that. Even if they’re 5 or 6, they should know where grandma and grandpa came from. They’re interested if you give it to them. They have an opinion. They are very conscientious about what is going on in the world.

 

The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA) announces its 2017 ICA Reads selection: Damian Duffy and John Jennings’s Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation. The book is an interpretation of Octavia Butler’s bestselling classic that has quickly become a bestseller itself. An artful take on the book club, ICA Reads presents a book of critical and societal importance and an opportunity to gather for discussion and meet the author(s).

More than 35 years after Kindred’s release, the powerful story continues to draw in new readers with its unforgettable strong female protagonist, Dana, and her deep exploration of the violence and loss of humanity caused by slavery in the United States, and its complex and lasting impact on the present day. A unique introduction for those unfamiliar with Butler’s masterful work, adapted by academics and comics artists Duffy and Jennings, the graphic novel powerfully renders her mysterious and moving story, spanning racial and gender divides in the antebellum South through the 20th century. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Díaz describes Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation as, “A glorious tribute to Octavia Butler’s masterpiece. Extraordinary.” For more information visit.

Held up as an essential work in feminist, science-fiction, and fantasy genres, and a cornerstone of the Afrofuturism movement, Kindred has sold more than 500,000 copies. The intersectionality of race, history, and the treatment of women addressed within the original work remain critical topics in contemporary dialogue, both in the classroom and in the public sphere. Frightening, compelling, and richly imagined, Kindred offers an unflinching look at our complicated social history, transformed by the graphic novel format into a visually stunning work for a new generation of readers.

The Artist’s Voice: Damian Duffy and John Jennings, Thursday, May 4, 7 PM
ICA visitors can meet Duffy and Jennings and join a timely and thought-provoking conversation about Kindred and its lasting impact. Book signing to follow (copies available for purchase at the ICA store). Free admission, first come, first served; tickets available at the box office two hours prior to start of program.

About the Authors

  • John Jennings is Associate Professor of Visual Studies at the University at Buffalo and has written several works on African-American comics creators. His research is concerned with the topics of representation and authenticity, visual culture, visual literacy, social justice, and design pedagogy. He is an accomplished designer, curator, illustrator, cartoonist, and award-winning graphic novelist, who most recently organized an exhibition/program on Afrofuturism and the Black Comic Book Festival, both at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library.
  • Damian Duffy, cartoonist, writer, and comics letterer, is a PhD student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Graduate School of Library and Information Science, and a founder of Eye Trauma Studios (eyetrauma.net). His first published graphic novel, The Hole: Consumer Culture, created with artist John Jennings, was released by Front 40 Press in 2008. Along with Jennings, Duffy has curated several comics art shows, including Other Heroes: African American Comic Book Creators, Characters and Archetypes and Out of Sequence: Underrepresented Voices in American Comics, and published the art book Black Comix: African American Independent Comics Art and Culture. He has also published scholarly essays in comics form on curation, new media, diversity, and critical pedagogy.
  • Octavia Estelle Butler (1947–2006), often referred to as the “grand dame of science fiction,” was born in Pasadena, California, on June 22, 1947. She received an Associate of Arts degree in 1968 from Pasadena City College, and also attended California State University in Los Angeles and the University of California, Los Angeles. Butler was the first science-fiction writer to win a MacArthur Fellowship (“genius” grant). She won the PEN Lifetime Achievement Award and the Nebula and Hugo Awards, among others.

Path from ICA to East Boston

 

Jill Medvedow, Ellen Matilda Poss Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA), announced today that the museum has signed a letter of understanding to expand its artistic programming across Boston Harbor to the Boston Shipyard and Marina, located in East Boston. Pending permitting and final design, the new space is projected to open in summer 2018 and will be called the Watershed. The ICA will present artworks and public programs seasonally in the newly renovated 15,000 square-foot space while continuing year-round programming in its Diller Scofidio + Renfro-designed facility in Boston’s Seaport District.  

“Our location on Boston Harbor places us in a unique position to activate the waterfront. With this project, the ICA will make a cross-harbor connection that is central to our notion of art, civic life, and urban vitality,” said Medvedow. “The Watershed represents an exciting and creative mode of growth for the museum. It takes art beyond our walls, building upon a decade-long history of public art projects that bring together landscape and contemporary art, as well as ongoing partnerships with East Boston youth communities.” 

The Watershed will be a raw, industrial space for art unlike any other in Boston. In addition to a flexible space for exhibitions, programming, and workshops, the Watershed will house an orientation gallery introducing visitors to the historic shipyard complemented by a waterside plaza that will serve as a gathering place with stunning harbor views. Admission to the Watershed will be free for all.

“Boston’s waterfront and harbor are one of the most unique aspects of our City, and I’m pleased the ICA is supporting our creative community in this welcoming East Boston space,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “The Watershed will offer Boston a new, engaging space for art and discovery, and I welcome their investment in Boston’s diverse artists, residents, and visitors.”

“We are thrilled to be working with the ICA on this ambitious and visionary endeavor that will connect the two neighborhoods we call home – East Boston and South Boston – through art and across the Harbor,” said Tom Glynn, Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), which owns the property. “The Watershed will connect communities with Boston’s dynamic working waterfront and shine a light on its vital role in our city’s history and future.”

At the Watershed, the ICA will welcome visitors to experience immersive artworks by artists engaged with the issues of our times. The new facility is a central component of ICA’s recently completed five-year strategic plan, A Radical Welcome, designed to advance the leading center for the vibrant intersection of contemporary art and civic life in Boston. For more on the ICA’s strategic plan, visit icaboston.org

Award-winning firm Anmahian Winton Architects (AW) has been engaged to execute the renovation of the facility. The design will embrace the history of the building’s original design and use. Transportation from the ICA to the Watershed will be available by boat from docks adjacent to the ICA, and on the MBTA Blue Line.

Including the renovation and programming over the next five years, the project is expected to cost approximately $10 million.

#ICAwatershed

The ICA is delighted to announce that the we are expanding our artistic programming across the Harbor to a temporary site in the East Boston Shipyard and Marina. We are honored to be a part of the East Boston landscape, a community that has long championed the arts, public parks, and the waterfront.

The new space, called the Watershed, is projected to open in summer 2018, pending permitting and final design. We will present art and public programs in the new 15,000-square-foot space seasonally while continuing our regular programming in the Seaport year-round.

The Watershed will be a raw, industrial space for art unlike any other in Boston, where visitors can experience immersive projects by artists engaged with the site, space, and issues related to this unique location. In addition to a flexible space for art and programs, the Watershed will house an introductory gallery focused on the historic shipyard and a waterside plaza that will serve as a gathering place. Admission will be free for all.

“Boston’s waterfront and harbor are one of the most unique aspects of our City, and I’m pleased the ICA is supporting our creative community in this welcoming East Boston space,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “The Watershed will offer Boston a new, engaging space for art and discovery, and I welcome their investment in Boston’s diverse artists, residents and visitors.” 

The Watershed represents an exciting and creative mode of growth for the museum. With this project, the ICA will make a cross-harbor connection that is central to our vision of art, civic life, and urban vitality. It takes art beyond our walls, building upon a decade-long history of public art projects that bring together landscape, history, and contemporary art. The new facility is a central component of the ICA’s recently completed five-year strategic plan, A Radical Welcome, designed to deepen the vibrant intersection of contemporary art and civic life in Boston.

We are thrilled to launch this exciting new journey and to create new opportunities for art and artists and to deepen the connection between the natural and cultural resources of Boston.