Vanessa Long
Julia Tuttle Causeway, 2010
mixed media installation with sound
Julia Tuttle Causeway, 2010
mixed media installation with sound
Artist Statement
Sometimes, if you bake a pie for an old man—nicknamed “Rusty” for his lack of access to running water and apparent aversion to it—you may be rewarded with a story.
Stories like this one: that are potentially forbidden, seemingly private, and inherently foreign are what inspire me. While I seriously consider all of the heavy implications of a situation like Rusty’s, my defense mechanism is activated; I will likely allow myself to entertain the idea that he is actually coated in a fine layer of oxidation.
The triad of a good story, a solid human truth, and the need to laugh are where I find the most inspiration. I enjoy questioning the makeup, the origin, the implications, and my own presuppositions of these scenarios.
I intend to portray openness and disarmament in the work that I make and believe that this supports my intention of presenting potentially difficult content and expecting laughter and further thought. Often, my work will take the form of puppetry or animation, or exude theatrical or carnivalesque visuals. The narratives in my work are based on the stories I find, the social or political implications of these scenarios, insinuations, subtexts, a conditioned response or two, and hopefully some reflexive chuckles.