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August 2008

Visuelles Adrenalin

Fortsetzung, Teil 4

Interview mit Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir

(Link zum Artikel: http://www.createordie.de/cod/artikel/1892)

CREATE OR DIE: Your works have reached a very high level of originality, could you amplify your daily workflow -what influences you?
Rebekka: Anything and everything influences me. When i'm not working on creating photos, i busy my hands with knitting, or go out and run, or lift weights, and all the while my brain is constantly working, thinking over and either rejecting or seriously considering possible ideas, which are either stored at the back of my head for later use, or cause me to drop what i'm doing and rush to get my camera. However, I'm becoming increasingly selective about what i consider "worthwhile" photo ideas... Very often i think of something and dismiss it almost right away because

• i've done it before (or some very similar variation of it) or
• someone else has done it before.

In those cases, i enjoy trying to come up with ways to take an idea that isn't in itself very original, and find ways to elaborate or expand the idea into something new and original, or even humorous.

CREATE OR DIE: Are there any other people/photographers/-occurrences that inspire you and your work?
Rebekka: I don't actively look for inspiration.. i don't really follow the works of others and can't name many artists that inspire me. A few do come to mind, that have in some way helped steer me onto the right path with my work, and help me see what kind of photographer/artist i want to be. Cindy Sherman's work first got me interested in selfportraits, but most recently I became very impressed by the work of two very different women photographers: Zena Holloway, who is a master of underwater photography (something i definitely plan on exploring in the near future) and Sandy Skoglund, who's fascinatingly surreal and complex photos from the 80's and 90's are nothing short of brilliant. In a time when photoshop wasn't an option yet, she would go through an amazing amount of trouble to construct scenes for her photos, a work ethic i admire greatly, and have slowly started incorporating into my own work.

Again, i'lll use "once in a blue moon" as an example. Several people asked me regarding that photo "why didnt' you just photoshop the rocks blue"? In reality i collected the rocks, took them home, painted them blue one by one, and then brought them back to the lake where i originally collected them. This lengthy process isn't visible in the photo, but it matters to me. Also, people need to stop believing that photoshop is a substitute for really creating things. It really isn't. You can always tell what's fake.

CREATE OR DIE: What are your current obsessions?
Rebekka: Long distance running (i reached my goal of running a half-marathon just the other day) and knitting. I custom-design and sell wool sweaters, something which I also "accidentally" got into, but has turned into almost a full-time summer job.

CREATE OR DIE: So what's next?
Rebekka: So many things. My head is full of ideas. I have at least one book planned, hopefully to be followed by more. I'll be opening an exhibit of all new , never before displayed material at the Fotografí Gallery in Reykjavík , on december 6th 2008. Other exhibits haven't been nailed down precisely, but I'm planning them nonetheless. Oh, and I have to finish school of course. I'm starting my final year at Icelands Academy of the Arts this fall, and will be graduating with a BA in visual arts in spring 2009.

CREATE OR DIE: Any advice or pearls of wisdom?
Rebekka: Believe in yourself, first and foremost. Make your own path instead of following in the footsteps of others, and try to enjoy every minute of the process of getting to where you're going, instead of concentrating too much on your destination.

CREATE OR DIE: It has been a privilege, thank you very much.

Rebekka's interview was conducted by Frank Reitberger (www.prinzipiell.com).

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• http://www.rebekkagudleifs.com/

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• rebekka gudleifsdottir,
• fotografie,
• photographic art