Was Here

Tas Kafe, 2011

Beacon, New York

Created by: Victoria Bradbury

Was Here is the remnant of who and what was before.  As a seance is an attempt to communicate with spirits, these artists use the medium of video to explore family histories, real and imagined.  The starting point is always a story–heard or read, recorded or passed down, observed or remembered.  Through the passage of time, a recorded images takes ownership of a memory– either standing in its place or defining it anew.  A story discovered through text requires that the image be conjured.  A tale heard 1,000 times is mingled with the imagination of the listener–her mind’s wandering adding fantasy to what is “real” for the teller.  Here we see what a re-telling brings to the table/fable/tradition/legend/illusion.

Artists:

Sondra Perry

Elena Grajek

Dale Inglett

Cristina Molina

Nicole Rademacher

Gia Michael

Jan Nagle

Tiffany Joy Butler