„The inconsistency, imperfection and chaos are what I love the most in nature. And the absence of silence!“
Unsere bisherigen Interviews mit Morphosita (hier), Jan Sturm (hier) und Barkosina (hier) zum Thema Stille haben einige Facetten dieses „Zustandes“ beleuchtet. Stille ist sehr vielfältig wahrnehmbar und kann ganz unterschiedliche Assoziationen hervorrufen. Sie kann friedlich sein und einen Rückzugsort bieten. Ebenso gibt es die Stille, die sich bedrückend und unerträglich anfühlt – Stille, die beängstigend ist. Über diesen Aspekt von Stille und die damit verbundenen Erinnerungen spricht die französische Illustratorin, Motion Designerin und Videokünstlerin Christel Morvan in unserem Interview.
Mit ihrer Kunst erforscht die in Belgien lebende Künstlerin unbehagliche Gefühle, verstörende Orte, das Unnatürliche und Übernatürliche und lässt sich dabei von Finsternis, Morbidem und Surrealismus inspirieren. In unserem Interview spricht die Künstlerin mit uns über ihr Albumcover zu Ordo Rosarius Equilibrios EP „La Fleur du Mal“, Stille, die Bedeutung von Natur und über Künstler*innen, die ihre Arbeit inspirieren und beeinflussen.
What are your thoughts about silence? What does silence mean to you? What do you associate with silence?
To me, silence is heavy, cold, nerve racking. When we were kids we had to be as silent as possible during dinner. And all we could hear was the clinking of cutlery on the plates, the buzz of the neon light. A hush. The pressure of having to remain silent. At some point I remember I actually started to listen to music in my head, and make conversation with myself!
What impact do your surroundings have on your art? How important is nature to you? What role does nature play in your life and in your art?
I need to go to the wild from time to time to recharge my batteries. And there is nothing prettier than beauty created by nature! The light in the leaves, the spider webs, the wind … Everything is a source of inspiration. But what fascinates me the most is water. The patterns created in water, depending on the bed of the water, the wind, the streams. When you think you are getting the shape, it’s changing into something else. The inconsistency, imperfection and chaos are what I love the most in nature. And the absence of silence!
But you know, nature to me is comforting. And in my creations I like to go the opposite way, I like to explore the uneasy feelings, disturbing places, the unnatural and supernatural.
Which places do you associate with stillness?
In a strange way, I don’t associate silence with the wild. Because in the wild you always have a lot of sounds from everywhere. The sing of the wind, the insects, the birds, the trees, the water. To me silence is an artificial construct. If silence was a place, it would be a huge industrial fridge to me. A classroom … A hospital, a church.
How would you describe the visual aspect of silence?
A bright white vinyl box with sharpened splinters.
Are there any painters, writers, poets, or other artists that have inspired your work?
Too many! And I keep on getting inspired by new ones! Giger was my first revelation. Bacon, Bellmer, Goya, Tom Bagshaw, James Jean, Spey Milk, Dan Quintana, Vania Zouravliov, Arnold Böcklin, Gustave Moreau, Caspar David Friedrich, Odd Nerdrum, Jeremy Mann, John Collier, Gustave Doré, Austin Ausman Spare, McBess, Esher. I’m sure I forgot many of them, it’s really difficult to make an exhaustive list …
Can you tell us a bit about the idea, concept and process of your artwork for Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio‘s EP „La Fleur du Mal“, and the way your art reflects their music?
Well Tomas came with the idea of “la fleur du mal” and I immediately thought about a female figure sculpted into a flower of flesh, both sensual and shocking in a hidden manner. To me their music is often a mix of sensuality, nihilism, with subtle satanic notes.
What influence does music have on your creative process?
I am always listening to music when creating. I’m pretending it’s the soundtrack of my creation. It’s giving me the right mental setting I want to be in.
But listening to music is also very often giving me vivid images, ideas.
What is the sound of silence/what does silence sound like?
White noise, buzz of a neon light.
Which piece of music feels to you like silence turned into sound?
„Lonely void“ by Mica Levi (listen here)
Which topics are currently moving you? What are you working on at the moment? What are you most looking forward to?
At the moment I don’t have any concrete project. I am going through that phase where I am training to learn new skills and open my possibilities. I still feel technically too limited at the moment, and the best way to remedy this is to learn and practice.
Alle Fotos: © Christel Morvan @Nesisart
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