Artist Statement: Intervals

Addressing themes of nature, collection/archive, habitation and infestation, my video installation work attempts to create an abstract narrative that highlights familiar sensations of ordinary experiences, and brings them to an extraordinary level of attention. Utilizing close-up shots with a narrow depth of field, I resist full resolution, placing emphasis on the corporeal response of the viewer.  By composing images using a macro lens, I emphasize the everyday in an attempt to reclaim what is unremarkable, discarded or forgotten.

My desire for antiquated and dilapidated objects originates from a motive to repair, heal, and mend.  I create characters that satisfy these actions in the moving image.  These individuals embody characteristics of hermits, hoarders, collectors, and obsessive archivists:  the antihero. 

The video component to my work often functions as a loop.  There is no beginning, middle, or end to the narrative.  It is a rhythmic and cyclical depiction of repetitive, mundane tasks.  I am interested in the non-event, and the iterative action as a means to magnify the quotidian.

My practice is constant.  I consider everyday moments, the in-betweens and intervals to be part of my art-making process.  I am a detective.  I am a scientist.  I am an archeologist uncovering the smallest detail, ready to present my findings to the viewer.



Bio

Emilie Crewe (b. 1987, Quebec City, Canada) is an interdisciplinary artist working in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her work often takes the form of video installation, sound, sculpture and single-channel video. She received a BFA in Interdisciplinary Fine Art from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University in 2009. In the spring of 2011, she received an MFA in Studio Art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from the department of Film, Video, New Media and Animation.