“Interview to Irene Alexandra” Published May 13, 2008

We talked time ago with Irene Alexandra, a mac artist from Bilbao living in New York. We return to talk with her about her interesting and intense activities and the new projects of this creative and polifacetic woman that always surprises

 

Irene Alexandra. Photography by

She is the author of “Ydhy”, one of her creations that she kindly provided us with to illustrate our space.

* Hello Irene, You keep living in New York, right? Tell us what are you now in, please.
I am in preproduction with series of paintings with new universal mythology for OPERA Gallery New York.

Aside I write the mythological tales of each painting, for a new illustrated book with all of it. Then I will make the shorts mixing animation and real image, with views to a feature.One project after another and all united, formats are different, the idea, unitary.

Divinity. Oil on Cotton Canvas.

* “Divinity”, represents to all beings being able of transmiting wisdom. All animal and system transmits it’s wisdom, yet human beings, for their capacity to cognize, create and transmit infinity of knowledge, require of the conscious effort to focus 100% in specific and thus transmit light. I understand it as human bioluminescence. To make 100% of the energy, light, avoiding dispersion and surpassing entropy infinitesimally.

* What symbology contains this masterpiece?
The “flower of lis”, speaks of knowledge and it’s appreciation. The symbol “king”, speaks of the capacity of successful communication with all cognitive levels. The colors are symbolic too. The Gold and it’s location, means quality and election, see and give the best, importance in the ideas to choose and transmit, the quality of the predominant or absulute in our minds. The Green is the closeness with nature and it’s inner force, health of elections. The Dark Red is intensity of meaning, force, concentration, creation, movement, inspiration. The White is light, concentration of all colors, meanings, bioluminescence. The Black is infinitesimal, thought, universal, seriousness of meaning and doing, honesty, proximity with the facts, listening from the inside to the outside of our universe, towards where the richness evolves. The romboid shapes indicate concentrated thoughts, ideas, emtyness open to the universe, creation, cognoscitiveness… the sinuous shapes indicate energy, light, transmission… the rounded indicate harmony, etc. All present element is essential for the complete plot of the story or allegory. Absolute understanding for absolute creation.  Evolutive concern. The general appearance is due to the travel to Venice and the florentine richness in the decoration and the perceived environmental color.

* Animation: Tell us about your animated documentary short: “The Difference. 1 min. Traditional Animation and Computer. All ages. Antropologic Documentary; Behavior, life and cosmos”. How did you develop the starting idea for this work?
We live in a world in which still differences cause reactions among the organisms. It’s an observation that comes with me since I remember, is question of time that our most intense thoughts take concrete shapes, call it art, positions, actions…

* Documentary-Short: “The Emperors New Art”. Philosophical documentary about certain aspects of art, under the shape of a social faerie tale. Realized with masterpieces of Romare Bearden. A modern tale. The concept: Visual language vs. Literary language: you move in both fields, What technique do you use for each specialty?

None. The thoughts and opinions of the self are made present through all we are and do, is not necessary. When you care something so much, all you do, wether is writing, drawing, painting, sculpting, fly, music, walk, whatever it may be, reflects your state in all dimensions.

Simply do it. As soon as you feel it, you express it in the shape that it comes to you. The words, images, and all together in one alone, in that way it is a painting, a poem-script-tale, a form of essay or visual article. What is teh difference, what you do is express that idea.

 

Irene Alexandra at her gallery

 

When we dream slept, we communicate with ourselves through personal and collective metaphors, all that we know and cognize in mixed shapes and ways, as to make a salad with our whole being. Life is the same. We are different, the fact that you do it, already makes it different, being the closest to the truth. The irony is that precisely there is when you communicate with all at all levels, with the individual collective being. The technique is follow yourself and no one else, because that’s the truth. If the nature would want that you to repeat exactly that of the other, we would be clons without space for the difference.

Film URA image, by Irene Alexandra

There is a third film with which I am working, mix of traditional animation, stop-motion and real action.
It’s called “URA”, “Water” in basque, as the message is of antique and future meaning, I thought basque is appropiate.

* About “URA” , what real images, from where and what nexus do you give them to unite them with stop-motion? Can you show us any descriptive image? What technique, tools have you used?

We identify as humans with the actor’s image, Mariusz Czajkowski. The discovery of his alternative and changing nature, through other techniques, in this case traditional animation, stop-motion and real image, situates us again in a world of more abstracted stimulating possibilities and questions, that allows to focus the spectator in the ideas.

The variety of formats is a major reinforcement of the transmitted ideas of change.

When we create, is not about reproducing a format or product in specific as we have been taught, the intention of the teaching is that we know the used techniques till the moment and stimulate our minds to keep creating other ways, evolve.

The most important  in the transmission of ideas, is that everything speaks of the ideas to transmit, wether its the formats, the colors, the variety, the monotony or not of whatever of its aspects in accordance with teh idea… More than a masterpiece in one way or another, it is about transmitting the ideas that we considerate valid for the universal society.

 

* Literature-screenwriting: (currently living in New York, combining studies with works of illustration, the writing of elfic allegory, a novella inspired in the Basque Country’s Acha Palace, new epigrams and aphorisms for NoWhere II, essays, poems, and allegorical stories which then shape animation shorts  and features): Nymbda. Sci-Fi Feature script.120 pag. 2006. Tell us about your jobs  as screenwriter, Irene, are they specific scripts  for shorts, features?
All starts with images with little stories, shorts, but as one goes inmersing oneself more profoundly in each one, they end evolved into features, because all has explanations that go for long.

A sucint phrase in a short, though, is as sharp as a masterful feature.

Probably in a future, that might be a fast way of communication in a universe every time more quick, requiring of more substance in less time, given a mayor reality of richness of meaning as we advance, evolve, mature, grow, diversificate, etc. There is a lot to talk among all, and in a lot of ways to advance faster to better and wider.

* Music: You have entered in the music creation and we see some of your themes of “Genesis”. Do you conceibe the music as something inherent to the plastic expression?
If you were deprivated of any of your senses, or of them all except one, you would be equally able of expressing through it. You are alive, you breath, feel, think, imagine… the senses are sweet, acid, express how you feel it, what you tell, is the same. You can deprive of any of your senses by mere selection in any moment. Choose through which of them you tell it, enter to that ship and navigate.

The expression is life in action, is not something merely human. All forms of life express their position with any of their movements… that is music.

* By the technic side, how have you composed your themes? (hard, soft, etc)
I started “the other way around”, as “usual”. First I knew the sound i wanted to tell, as images. Then i seeked them. Apple has a program called GarageBand in which you can seek the precise instrument that you feel and compose with it, you choose the sounds that compose what you want to tell, you organize them in the most approximate way… as drawing a composition or edit a film. There is always “x” ingredients that one organizes in “y” form with “z” meanings.

The case is that then I wanted to feel with the touch also, and seeked a keyboard, then more programs… is like seeking the musicians and orchestras in yourself. You create what you would like to hear without having to ask for it, you create what you feel Music.

* 3D Models: Making phisically palpable imaginary entities.

Equally, sometimes you want to touch your creations in a voluminous way. In reality you want to feel it all. How does it feel what you mean, touched. How do you feel what you signify, with sound, with images, words, with whatever you might have in front of you, how it is, how I am, what Is it. In some way, if we all would have in front of us a little group of stones and wood to make something with them, we would end shapping different things, and that difference relates of us individually, colectively, and universally… our system of life, or essence of what we do, are, will be. What we do are questions. And answers. Constant. Infinitesimal…

* You are writing “Elfic Allegory”, a novel conjugating history and fantasy, inspired and written in the “Palace Acha” of Basque Country. When did you start this literary work? When will it be available?
“Elfic Allegory” is a temporal title that reminds me the focus, it’s name is “G-Host”. Since young, I have visited that Palace. I hace phrases, sequences, images, sketches of it all, as if being in that place that so much inspires me, where a canalizer of all, it gave a shape to my thoughts in many areas, all united… last year, due to the screenwriting classes i was taking, I started to transform the story in a script. The story is available.

* Where and with which computer are you working now?
In Manhattan with my PowerBook  G4, in two months in Basque Country with the new MacBook Air

* What are your goals?
Inspiration, Movement, constant and interactive Communication with everybody, Clarify, Create and give 100% Light. I want to get everytime closer to science and keep communicating with everyone. That is what we are for now, energy, bioluminescent beings.

 

 

* Lastly, what readings do you recommend, in and out of the net?
Imagine the future in which you would love to live, and create it with everything you do, say, think. A book is a compendium of thoughts, you too.

* Thank you very much for telling us of your experiences
To you for asking, always an honor to share with you all.

Irene Alexandra’s YdhysWorld:

* Links:
Official Site of Irene Alexandra
Official myspace: www.myspace.com/secret_mind

Photography by Raul Jalube.

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