Multi-Media Community Album
This project is a multimedia “family album” for the diverse community of the Central Coast of California. A variety of local cultures, each represented by one of its members, is depicted in paintings that come to life with the support of video, social media and QR codes. In addition to the individual portraits, recorded interviews with the subjects allow them to tell the story, in their own words, of their culture and its place in our community. In turn, our community will have the opportunity to better understand the individual cultural influences that make up our collective sense of identity.
Three mediums are used to create the portraits of people who represent a cultural or lifestyle influence in the Central Coast of California. Each of them has an unique quality to make an interactive experience with you, the audience.
The first medium is portrait painting. It is the most traditional and oldest method. It requires that I commit to one important image that captures the essence of the person being painted. These painting skills that have been passed down through hundreds of years to create a 3 dimensional image by hand on a 2 dimensional surface. As the audience, you have a contemplative, quiet experience.
Secondly, there is videography. This is the medium of this century. It gives us sound and motion and multiple images. It allows the subjects to speak and share their story. You can see their mannerisms and hear the inflections in their voice. In addition, you can see the portrait being made through time-lapse photography and video.
The third medium is social media. It is a fast growing technology that gives us a platform to connect as subject, audience and artist. Not only can you see and experience the work at any time through art, video and the written word. More importantly, YOU can interact and influence the project. These mediums are all accessible on line through my website.