Elodie Silberstein

2012-01-22T22:43:00.000-08:00

I am preparing my residency and have begun to concentrate on the symbolism of dolls in traditional and contemporary Japan. My previous trip to Tokyo strongly influenced one of my previous projects Ningyo (doll in English) in Mori Gallery. Ningyo lies at the intersection of artistic and medical practices by dealing with Anorexia Nervosa. For this site specific work, I sought real life stories to create a fictional intimate diary and a living picture for the opening night. In the two pictures above, the model (Rhiannon Bulley photographed by Kent Johnson) was doll like and acted a series of living pictures inspired by the French tradition of tableaux vivants and the inscrutable mysteries of Japanese dolls.

2011-12-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

Being fascinated by Japanese culture, I am extremely pleased to have been selected for a residency in 3331 Arts Chiyoda. This program offers the opportunity for artists from all over the globe to spend one month in the heart of Tokyo and have access to a studio and a gallery whilst staying in the accommodation of 3331 Arts Chiyoda. I will spend all of April 2012 in Tokyo and will document the process on the blog.

For more information about 3331 Arts Chiyoda: http://www.3331.jp/en/

2011-11-29T14:49:00.000-08:00

A few pictures and a video of the Memorium#2 project to give a glimpse of Patricia’s very beautiful voice. A longer version of the video will be posted soon.

2011-11-29T14:46:00.000-08:00

Here is the recipe for making the oatmeal and raisin mourning cookies that were inside the little boxes that were given away at the end of the ceremony Memorium #2.

Ingredients: 150g unsalted butter, 220g soft brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, 1 egg, 150g plain flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 200g rolled oats, 190g raisins

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and egg. Beat well. Sift in the flour and baking powder. Stir in the raisins and oats. Once the mixture is well mixed, take a teaspoon-full of the mixture to make a ball and flatten with the palm of your hand, or, as the recipe says, used a fork dipped in flour to make little ridges. Cook on a baking tray lined with baking paper at 180 degrees Celsius for 12 - 15 minutes

2011-11-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

I finally decided to make a rosette for the mourning ribbon of the project Memorium#2. During Victorian times, black ribbons were carried in memory of the deceased by both men and women. Sometimes, the ribbon would be complemented by a locket containing a lock of hair or a picture of the loved one. As my mother could recall this occurring at the funeral of her uncle, it seems this was still the custom in France in the mid 20^th century.

2011-11-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

Photography: Kent Johnson

Press release Memorium#2>

Performance 3pm to 4pm

26^th November 2011

Camperdown Cemetery, 189 Church Street, Newtown 2042

Free admission but RSVP essential: elodiesilberstein@westnet.com.au

From 3pm to 4pm on the 26^th November, a limited audience will take part in a Victorian funeral procession orchestrated by artists Elodie Silberstein and Patricia Alvarez in Camperdown Cemetery. As would have occurred during a mourning ceremony in the 19th century, the audience will receive a black rosette to wear and mourning cookies to share. Memorium #2 is to be a part of White Ribbon Day, the Australian campaign which seeks to prevent violence against women. The project investigates the mortality rate arising from domestic violence in the developed world.

During the remembrance ceremony, Elodie Silberstein will position a clay sculpture in the cemetery; this sculpture will steadily decay and in so doing will raise issues of loss, rituality, humanity and collective responsibility. The highlight of the event will be the singing performance of Patricia Alvarez.

2011-11-07T23:17:00.000-08:00

Domestic violence is a complex form of abuse. One aspect of the Memorium project is to work on intimate homicides. Contrary to public perception that people are at greater risk of being sexually abused or killed by a stranger, such harm is more likely from someone in a close relationship such as friends and family members. Intimate partner homicides account for one-fifth of all homicides in Australia. Of these, four out of five involve a man killing his female partner. For more information and statistics about intimate homicides:

www.whiteribbon.org.au

http://www.aic.gov.au/events/aic%20upcoming%20events/2008/~/media/conferences/2008-homicide/taylor_varley.ashx

2011-11-06T21:02:00.000-08:00

The studio 26 │11 │ 2011

Clay roses for Memorium #2

2011-10-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from Europe where I had been studying Victorian mourning customs for the project MEMORIUM#2. This celebration of death could seem theatrical and macabre today but these customs were done to ease the intensity of the pain and were shared by all the community. This shows a drastic contrast with post modern individualist and materialist society in which death has disappeared from social spheres to move into the medical one.

The picture above is a post mortem photograph of a dead child. Photographing the recently deceased was seen as a way to remember the departed. In this photograph, the family probably tries to enhance the effect of life by propping the subject's eyes open. The picture below shows a woman wearing what seems to be typical mourning jewellery, a brooch in the shape of a hand holding yew and roses (1884, Studio N. Paul Versailles).

These two photographs were purchased in Puces de Saint Ouen (Paris). http://www.doitinparis.com/weekend-getaway/discovery-flea-market-saint-ouen-8651

2011-10-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

Next event >

MEMORIUM #2

Camperdown Cemetery, 189 Church Street, Newtown 2042

Free admission but RSVP essential: elodiesilberstein@westnet.com.au

From 3 to 4pm on the 26^th of November, a limited audience will take part in a Victorian funeral procession orchestrated by artists Elodie Silberstein and Patricia Alvarez in Camperdown Cemetery. During the ceremony, Elodie will position a clay sculpture in the cemetery; this sculpture will steadily decay and in so doing will raise issues of loss, rituality, humanity and collective responsibility. The highlight of the event will be the singing performance of Patricia Alvarez. As would occur during mourning in the 19th century, the audience will receive a black rosette to wear and cookies to share.

Memorium #2 is to be a part of White Ribbon Day, the Australian campaign which seeks to prevent violence against women. The project investigates the mortality rate arising from domestic violence in the developed world.

2011-10-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

Image: Red Cross

Next event>

THE LOST WORLD

Wednesday 19^th of October from 6pm

“Meet the artist evening” VIP party of the Red Cross vintage boutique

359 King St Newtown, SYDNEY NSW 2042

For the occasion, the boutique will also be open to the public. The Lost World will be on display for two weeks.

2011-09-11T03:01:00.000-07:00

The Art Gallery of New South Wales is screening a cinema series concerning German expressionist movies from the 1920s onwards. The picture above is a still from The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, a nightmarish and disturbing movie (dir. Robert Wiene) that has inspired my research, specifically a work, Alice, in progress for my Masters degree. For more information about the next screening of the AGNSW http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/

2011-08-31T17:34:00.000-07:00

2011-08-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

The studio 26 I11 I 2011

2011-08-28T18:11:00.001-07:00

Research for Memorium #2 (Photography Michelle Tan), an investigation of the mortality rate arising from domestic violence. On November 25th, I will place ephemeral sculptures in Garigal National Park (Killarney Heights – Australia) and stage a series of living pictures during a meditative walk. The clay sculptures will steadily decay in the natural environment raising issues of loss, remembrance and collective responsibility. During the creative process, I photographed historic cemeteries in Australia, France and Argentina and collected Victorian mourning memorabilia such as post-mortem photography and flower wraps. This celebration of death shows a drastic change with post modern pragmatic, individualist and materialist society where death has disappeared from the familial and social spheres to move into the medical one.

2011-08-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

One more photograph for the project Memorium. I am working on a series of ephemeral sculptures. Also a picture taken in the Tom Bass Studio where I experimented with plaster last weekend.

2011-08-15T19:59:00.001-07:00

A photograph from my studio for my next project Memorium. This lace top is from the 19^th Century (Maison Lantier) and was bought in Puces de Vanves in Paris. I took some inspiration from a Victorian postcard from my collection. The costume will be used for a performance walk. More details to come.

2011-07-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

Next event > IMMERSE

Curated by Lew Palaitis and Amy Bortolazzo

CARRIAGEWORKS (Bay 19)

http://thesydneyfringe.com.au/shows/fringe-arts-carriageworks-immerse

Last event > INTRODUCTION TO THE CONCEPT OF INSTALLATION ART

Alliance Française de Sydney
257 Clarence Street - Sydney 2000

www.afsydney.com.au

Talk given in French and English

Thursday 7^th July
6.30pm – 8:00pm

Interview on Radio SBS with Marie LeMoel Saturday 2^nd February at 9.00pm

2011-05-01T00:41:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to everyone who helped with my workshop in Bear Cottage. Bear Cottage is a children's hospice that helps families cope with a child who has a life-limiting illness. It is an initiative of The Children's Hospital at Westmead. If you are interested in supporting Bear Cottage in any way, please have a look at: http://www.bearcottage.chw.edu.au/

2011-02-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

2011-01-30T15:29:00.000-08:00

2010-12-01T15:20:00.000-08:00

Little Red Riding Hood is a limited edition of ten zines that deal with the complex process of growing up, passage of generation and vulnerability. They are available in Sticky Institute (shop 10, Campbell Arcade, Melbourne)

2010-11-29T14:52:00.000-08:00

NEXT SHOW

Opening 04.02.2011

05.02.2011>20.02.2011

Off the Kerb Gallery

66B Johnston Street

Collingwood, Melbourne

Tel: 03 9077 0174

http://www.offthekerb.com.au

2010-11-05T01:29:00.000-07:00

The Lost World (2010)

Mixed-media installation (36 x 54 x 96 cm)

Portrait by Michelle Tan

Images from mood board

Coming soon :

An installation composed of two miniature worlds that can only be discovered by looking through a peep hole. The subject explores the concept of inside/outside in our post modern society in which the home sweet home is comprehended as a protective shelter against the outside world. But what if the threat comes from our safe and familiar landmark? the work traces the story of two characters who invent fictional worlds to escape a disturbing reality using imagination as a coping reparative process to sublimate psychic pain. Looking through the peep hole, we discover timeless and evocative dreamscapes where the outside environment becomes haunting but also comforting and enchanting. this poetic investigation is a reminiscent of lost worlds that mirror our own vulnerability.

2010-04-23T01:51:00.000-07:00

Memorium #1, 2010 (photographic print)

Memorium#1 is the first work in a series about domestic violence that will involve installations, sculpture and public intervention.

2010-03-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

Rapunzel #1, preparatory photographs

Ongoing collaborative project with artist Satochi Date and poet Dr Rachel Lehrma following a conceptual analysis of the fairy tale. The project is part of the international arts collective Nomadic. Nomadic will soon relaunch a new site devoted to collaborative practice (http://www.nomadic-collaborations.com). Rapunzel will be divided in an online project and a site specific installation in 2010 (London, UK).

2009-12-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

Open call>

I am seeking real life stories to interview people who have been involved in domestic violence and who would be interested to share their experiences in a confidential way. The final outcome will be a show in 2010 wth the publication of some of the testimonies in order for visitors to understand this complex and dramatic issue. This approach resonates with some of my initial works in which intimacy and vulnerability were at the centre of my research, always on the borderline between public and private, fact and fiction.

If you are interested in participating, please email : elodiesilberstein@westnet.com.au

It is possible to estimate that approximately one in five women have experienced sexual violence at some stage in their lives since the age of 15 and one in three women have experienced physical violence at some stage in their lives since the age of 15 (...).

Australian Bureau of Statistics-Personal safety Survey 2005

2009-12-11T19:37:00.000-08:00

Barbie Land, 2005

I am giving this piece to support MOP Gallery. If you are interested to donate or buy a work for their fundraising show on the 17.12.09, please visit http://www.mop.org.au/

2009-10-06T03:47:00.000-07:00

Interview
Rachel Ross ˃ 05.10.2009

Rachel is a 28 year old physiotherapist who has suffered from anorexia nervosa for almost 12 years. During my interview, Rachel highlighted not only her concerns regarding the recurring issues of lack of money and training in the health system; but also the lack of public understanding about this kaleidoscopic and destructive mental illness. For Rachel, the problem is not just about food, it's much more complex than that. “Anorexia is not about how you look, but how you feel (…). It's a coping mechanism developed when you're really hurting inside and you don't know how to communicate it; initially, a strategy to show people that you are suffering because you're unable to vocalise it. Anorexia is a silent language.” Despite improvement in the last few years, Rachel feels that the subject is still very much a taboo and difficult to talk about. This is one of the reasons that she decided to be interviewed: “I want to do whatever I can to help prevent people go through what I've been through over the last 12 years. Anorexia is living hell. It turns your head into a battleground; the anorexic voice constantly 'screaming' at the healthy voice (when it exists), until you believe what it's telling you; then it cycles on 'repeat' until it can think up a more vicious insult. It beats you down to make you feel so scared, so alone, so guilty, so undeserving. I wish my story could inspire people to realise that they are allowed to not cope; it's not a sign of weakness. Anyone suffering with an eating disorder is deserving of help and shouldn't have to struggle alone. If you can seek help early, so much suffering can be prevented (…).”

2009-09-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

Ningyo, 2009. Digital screening composed of four short cinematic sequences.

Work in progress

I would like to warmly thank everyone interviewed for the Mirror’s project; each one has been brave enough to share personal details about their battle against anorexia. While every interview was unique, each had in common the urgent need of a better understanding of and facilities for people with anorexia in the public system; a system that each one feels has failed them. An extract from one interview can be read by downloading the Press Kit in www.elodiesilberstein.com

The video attached is particularly dedicated to Catena Di Mauro who died in February 2009 after a nine year battle against anorexia and who has been continually remembered by her friends during my interviews.

2009-09-13T02:27:00.000-07:00

Clin d’oeil from Festa Gallery, an alternative artists run space in Tokyo. This group show included photographs from the Snow White series. J’adore Tokyo!

2009-09-08T16:38:00.000-07:00

2009-09-04T04:52:00.000-07:00

Photographic experimentation with Rhiannon Bulley and Kent for Mirrors project (www.kentjohnsonphotography.com.au). Rhiannon’s character is inspired by the ambivalent nature of Japanese dolls: Ningyo. Dolls do not age and do not become womanly. They are trapped in time and are allegorical with pubertal children suffering from anorexia who struggle in a quest for eternal childhood within the context of a burgeoning sexuality. The photographs taken will constitute a base of work for a screening that will also involve narrative, sounds and drawings.

2009-09-04T04:45:00.000-07:00

The Playhouse, 2006 was auctioned yesterday in Mori Gallery (168 Day St, Sydney 2000) for the profit of Climate Camp 09. The group show gathers fifty artists and will run until Saturday 6th of September 2009. To support a more sustainable community: http://www.climatecamp.org.au/

2009-08-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

Experimenting in the studio for a collaborative project with Nomadic

►Nomadic-Collaborations is an International Arts Collective. The members aim to promote communication and cooperation among different artistic disciplines, places, cultures, groups and peoples in order to create fuller, multi-media and interdisciplinary works. Nomadic has decided to relaunch its site as an online journal and gallery devoted to collaborative practice. They are looking for essays as well as reviews of recent collaborative projects, books, exhibitions and practices. Submissions can be sent to:

contact@nomadic-collaborations.com

http://www.nomadic-collaborations.com/home.html

2009-08-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

Photograph from my last trip to France in one of my favourite art spaces.

►For Australians wishing to have a residency in Paris, the 104 does a call for projects every year. A new call will be put on line in autumn 2009. Application forms can be completed in English. The 104 prioritises the presentation of an approach rather than projects already well advanced. During my last visit, I spoke with Juan Diego who experiments in mixed techniques and who applied directly from Peru. You can get a glimpse of his painting on the right of the picture above.

http://www.104.fr/#en/85-Residencies

http://www.104.fr/#en/Artists/A97-Juan_Diego_Vergara

2009-08-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

Snow White, 2008 - Model: Belinda Lloyd

Some of the photographs from Snow White will be on show in September in an alternative artist run space: Festa Gallery Tokyo. Snow White is an ongoing long term project exploring the trauma of growing up through the psychoanalytic interpretation of a fairy tale.

►Also, for artists going to Tokyo, I recommended buying the book: Art Space Tokyo. It is an intimate guide to the Tokyo art world which allows one to put into perspective art spaces in their environs: http://www.artspacetokyo.com/. Their web site and blog assist people to organise their trips from home (cf. ‘Art Maps’ on the website).

2009-08-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Journal Intime, 2009 - Work in progress - Model: Anais Mergy

As in previous years, I will be involved in Mirrors, an annual art event that aims to create an understanding of how body image is presented, understood and perceived within today's society. The exhibition, supported by yen Magazine, is curated by Rhiannon Bulley.

I am seeking real life stories by interviewing people who are facing or have overcome Anorexia Nervosa and who would be interested to share their experience in a confidential way. The final outcome will be the publication of a diary compiled from testimonies elaborated from the interviews that will reflect the complexity and heterogeneity of this mental illness. This approach resonates with some of my initial works in which intimacy and vulnerability were at the centre of my research, always on the borderline between public and private, fact and fiction. If you are interested in being involved, please email elodiesilberstein@westnet.com.au. All profits will go towards supporting Butterfly Foundation (www.thebutterflyfoundation.org.au)

Mori Gallery (168 Day street, Sydney)

15th-26th October 2009

Opening night 14th October 6-8pm

2009-08-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

After long contemplation, I have finally decided to study cultural studies in the University of Montpellier (option Arts Plastiques, Arts Visuels) where I have been accepted. The subject of my thesis will explore the relationship between art and gender identity.

2009-07-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

5.04am… in Tokyo and still with jet leg having come back from Paris. Tokyo is a fascinating place which presents a completely different way of approaching the concepts on which I am working; concepts like childhood and girlhood. I will have some artworks there in September (details nearer to the time) and am already thinking of a residency in 2010. I cannot wait.

2009-07-02T06:29:00.000-07:00

Trying to manage my pile of books to survive my trip to Tokyo next week! This will be a discovery trip before a future residency. Included in the program will be a visit to Akihabara’s streets to chase Cosplay maids to photograph them for my mood board. Their costumes are one of my sources of inspiration for my next interactive installation in Mori Gallery (Sydney). The show to be curated by Rhiannon Bulley will investigate issues of body image. More information nearer to the time.

2009-07-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

Mum#2, 2009
Ripped stocking, ink and cardboard (13 x 18 cm)

Second series of personal works which investigate beauty and decay and which followed the cancer of my Mother

2009-06-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

Final design for the wall drawing of Expiation, 2009

As in the previous installation Happy Mother’s Day, the circle is an analogy of the rabbit hole into which Alice fell in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). The circular shape represents the disconnection with reality that may arise in reacting to a traumatic experience, either as a defence mechanism, or as a manifestation of a personality disorder or even of schizophrenia.

2009-06-12T23:26:00.000-07:00

Selection of study photographs for Expiation, 2009
Work in process

2009-06-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

Playing with Kent in his photographic studio … wine, chocolate and a lot of fun
www.kentjohnsonphotography.com.au