Shanghai Daily news

Tonight, a Shanghai audience will be treated to a special feast of video art presented by young American artist and choreographer Amy Caron. Eight representative works will be on display offering both startling visual impact and inspiration to art lovers.
Entitled ``Tidbits for Viewing, Not Chewing,'' the event will consist of a sit-down screening lasting one-hour followed by a Q&A session with Caron and then a modern dance performance.
``In my view, there are three elements that are important in making a successful video -- having a unique vision, editing skills and good promotion,'' Caron says.
Her movement-themed experimental videos have been described as sarcastic, physical, visually compelling and raw with a sprinkling of dark humor. She also blends together the genres of dance, athletics, narrative storytelling and video art.
Her cutting-edge videos have been screened across the United States and Europe including performances at the prestigious American Dance Festival in North Carolina and the underground Movieside Film Festival in Chicago.
Growing up in Vermont in northeastern America, Caron completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in modern dance at the University of Utah in 2001. She first began to learn digital video editing in 2001 during her last semester at the university.
``When `Don't Blink,' a final project of the animation class, was accepted by the Monaco Dance Forum in 2002, it gave me a huge boost of confidence and after that I really became committed to developing a steady stream of new video projects,'' Caron says with a grin.
``Ecdysis'' is a five-minute work created last year. Ecdysis is the shedding of skin, or moulting, as a snake does every year. But in this video, a human being experiences the process from a disorienting up-close perspective.
``I have a human being slithering out of a piece of plastic to resemble this process,'' Caron says. ``I am trying to express the difficulty humans have with change in their lives.''
``The Cycle of Life Trilogy'' (``Love, Marriage, Kids'') is a newly completed piece. The second part ``Marriage'' was also made last year and was screened as a solo piece until Caron added the other two parts this year to complete the trilogy.
This work is black and humorous but a truthful look at three of the major milestones in life. ``Love'' and ``Kids'' will be premiered this evening.
``My dark sense of humor definitely comes out in these videos,'' Caron says. ``Each video also reveals the very true feelings people often experience but are afraid to discuss. I am showing the reality of life -- not the fantasy.''
Compared with ``The Cycle of Life Trilogy'' which is based on true life, ``Subsonic'' is a more a work of the imagination.
A line of communication is drawn from the brain to a distant body part as the body struggles to maintain a physical position. Throughout the work, the universal and normally unheard inner-dialogue of a person is amplified to reveal the delicate balance between perseverance and surrender.
Also this evening, Caron will display a work in progress, entitled ``Respite.''
The word ``Respite'' is defined as a brief period of rest and recovery between periods of exertion. The video was shot in the unusual setting of a huge inflatable structure called ``Ixilum,'' created by British artist Alan Parkinson.
Last June, ``Ixilum'' was installed at the Utah Arts Festival in Salt Lake City and Caron received permission from Parkinson to shoot a dance video in the structure.
``I began editing `Respite' upon my arrival to China,'' says Caron. ``The final step will be creating an original score. And I also plan to work with some local Chinese musicians to create new sounds that I can alter digitally.''
``Respite'' has taken shape as a piece that introduces movement as a meditative tool to be used in a cathedral of the future.
Throughout the piece, a duo recite a prayer over and over as if they are moving along a strand of Buddhist prayer beads. By performing the ritual in this special environment, they are able to move towards tranquility and inner peace.
``Video affords me certain luxuries because I can have the tools to create these small works at a relatively low cost,'' Caron says, beaming. ``It is wonderful for manipulating motion. To me, making a video is like making a moving painting.''

Date: December 10, 8pm
Venue: Room with a View, 12/F, 479 Nanjing Rd E.
Tel: 6352-0256