Individual residencies / Olot
JULIA FORREST
From Monday, 22 November 2021 to Thursday, 2 December 2021
Bio
Julia Forrest is a Brooklyn based artist. She works strictly in film and prints in a darkroom she built within her apartment. Her own art has always been her top priority in life and in this digital world, she will continue to work with old processing. Anything can simply be done in photoshop, she prefers to take the camera, a tool of showing reality, and experiment with what she can do in front of the lens.
Julia is currently working as a teaching artist at the Brooklyn Museum, Abrons Art Center, and USDAN Center. As an instructor, she thinks it is important to understand that a person can constantly stretch and push the boundaries of their ideas with whatever medium of art s/he chooses. Her goal is for her audience to not only enjoy learning about photography, but to see the world in an entirely new way and continue to develop a future interest in the arts.
Project
Using film photography and no digital manipulation, I pose nymph like women in the landscape. By using mirrors, reflections, and forced perspective, I create an illusion in front of the lens. Although they misleadingly appear docile, it is obvious they posses a mysterious power to move the landscape at will. They change shape and scale, picking up parts of the landscape or completely transforming it.
My goal during my stay in Olot is a completed portfolio of new work photographed in the local landscape. My work largely depends on unique landscapes for me to create illusions in. Every photograph has a connection to the location, along with the personal connection to the woman I photograph at the center of it.
My experience at the Faberlull Olot was nothing short of amazing. To say the landscape is stunning is a understatement. The hotel is clean and accommodating, with some of the best views outside the balcony. I already knew I was entering a constant state of inspiration. The breakfasts and dinners here are delicious and filled with conversation from the other artists. We talk daily about what we did, what we enjoyed, and our own artistic processes. I feel the connections I made with them will last beyond my time at Faberlull. Pepa and Gavina have helped me in finding all the volunteers I needed to pose for my photography project. I eventually had to turn people away, which is always a sad thing. If only I could stay longer! Each person would pick me up and drive me to a location that they personally find beautiful. They would show me their favorite spots, we would talk, they crawled in the dirt, got muddy, posed in contorted positions, all for a dedication to my art. Everyone was kind and fearless. We would drink coffee and talk more about favorite spots in town. Students from the school also posed for me, asking me many questions about my process and ideas. We talked about their goals and developing passion for photography. Overall the work I created in such a short time span proved how productive this experience became. When I arrive back home to New York, I will develop the film in my apartment and scan the negatives to show the residency. I hope to show this work in a upcoming solo exhibition scheduled in summer of 2022 where I will share my experience with others in talks and workshops.
