Friday, October 17, 2008

KY7 Artist Perspective - Catherine Forster

Reflections on "Golden Oldies", my piece in the Biennial.

"I have always been interested in observation, exposure, and cause and effect. My first format for exploration was through a microscope as a microbiologist. I began my artistic practice as a painter, which influences my current work in media arts. I choose to work in new media, because of its assessability and presentness. In addition, I find the third eye (camera lens) a very compelling observational tool.


"Golden Oldies” is painterly in a formal context and enacts a social commentary. "Golden Oldies" is a response to media overload and "group" orchestrated experience. The iPOD is the primary "personal medium" in use today, young people particularly, use the iPOD to separate themselves: becoming one within their universe by plugging in to their iPOD, and plugging everything else off. The piece is a humorous take-off on this hypnotic entreat.

Music is generally considered the most powerful conduit for movement and emotional suggestion. In “Golden Oldies”, light and movement are used to create 4 "visual scores". I wanted to create a visual counterpart to music, which would operate much like music on an iPOD. The installation includes 4 iPODs; each iPOD plays a silent video inspired by a pop hit from the mid sixties - early seventies: "Tiny Bubbles" (Don Ho, 1966), 'Under the Boardwalk" (Drifters, 1964), "Spinning Wheel" (Blood Sweat and Tears, 1969), and "Starry Starry Night" (Don McLean, 1971). All piece have an international appeal; they are global Karaoke hits. The pieces are the length of their title song and loop like a repeat setting on the iPOD.

Golden Oldies is an on-going project, new videos will be added from the 60s-90s."

Catherine Forster

Images top to bottom: "Golden Oldies" Installation View and "Starry Starry Night" Screenshot, Catherine Forster (Crystal Lake, IL)

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