Message Sent, (from the series Single-use Landscape), Archival Ink Jet, 24″x36″, 2011

Briefly describe the work you do. 

My everyday experiences (a jog on the beach, reading the newspaper) can become the source material for my art. I make assemblages out of found beach trash which I then  photograph against the sky or ocean landscapes. These photographs are then placed within a larger installation of actual beach trash configurations.

Tell us about your background and how that has had an influence on your work and on you as an artist.

I  grew up around animals both at home and at elementary school. This sensitized me early on to the gift of their presence and their mysterious qualities. Near the end of high school I discovered and began a long relationship with feminist writers. In college I began to see connections emerge between violence against women and violence against animals and nature. Eventually, these subjects became the themes of my art.

Loose Ends, (from the series Deliberations on Equilibrium), Digital C-print, 18″ x 27″, 2009

The concept of the artist studio has a broad range of meanings in contemporary practice. Artists may spend much of their time in the actual studio, or they may spend very little time in it. Tell us about your individual studio practice and how it differs from or is the same as traditional notions of “being in the studio.”

I don’t have a regimented schedule in the studio. It ebbs and flows. Because my art is concept driven, I often imagine my most productive studio space as being in my head. Taking the barest sketch of an idea through to it physical existence has its frustrations but it’s always a fun challenge and can lead to unexpected results. I often look back through my photo archives and let connections emerge.

What roles do you find yourself playing that you may not have envisioned yourself in when you first started making art?

I never imagined that I would teach high school photography at the school I myself attended. I never imagined I would take my teenage girl dream of becoming a beautiful fashion model and instead put my body (the female body) to use toward far more radical purposes. 

When do you find is the best time to make art? Do you set aside a specific time everyday or do you have to work whenever time allows?

An idea could strike me at any time and any place. I don’t generally set aside regimented time unless I have an impending show or other deadline. Deadlines create intense periods of work. Having an assistant is also great for managing studio time and creating more focus to move things forward.

Mid-air, (from the series Single-use Landscape), Archival Ink Jet, 24″ x 36″. 2012

How has your work changed in the past five years? How is it the same?

For the past five years I have been working with the unending flow of beach trash (much of it plastic) that is filling our oceans and endangering marine life and more. I am trying to narrate this tragedy we humans are embarked upon by presenting a view of the destruction we all take part in creating. The work’s intent is to instigate a personal  “Ah ha!” moment around our own participation. The materials that I work with (photography and beach trash) have not changed, however their presentation does. My intention is to always push at the traditional notions of photography. I am as concerned with what is inside the photographic frame as I am with the installations I construct around it. 

How have people such as family, friends, writers, philosophers, other artists or even pop icons had an impact on the work you do?

At a certain point, the radical feminist theory I was so engaged with didn’t feel like it was acknowledging other blatant forms of exploitation. This rift was mended when I discovered writers such as Carol J. Adams (The Sexual Politics of Meatand Animals & Women), Marjorie Spiegel (The Dreaded Comparison), and others. They made connections between feminism, racism and speciesism and illuminated the animal and environmental concerns that were informing my art work.

Have you ever been pulled in the direction of a pursuit other than being an artist? What are your other interests? 

Apart from a brief fantasy as a future choreographer (wholly inspired by Duke Ellington’s music) – I can’t say that I had many other “professional pursuits”. At most, I spent years disco roller skating and still love it when I can find a rink and I go through marathon periods of unearthing new electronic music (John Beltran, Lemon Jelly, Moby, Lazybatusu). My most primal passion has to be exploring new plant-based cuisine. I am a total food hound and love the prospect of sating my palette with a thousand different sensations.

About

julieamcconnell.com

All images copyright of the artist and used with their permission.