Thoughts from Emily Harvey Residency, Venice

August 7, 2016  | emily  | General

I have three weeks to go before my residency ends in Venice through the Emily Harvey Foundation. My project is to look at digitized videos of my work going back to the 80’s. You can see that I am only on file 5 with 11 files to go and each file has individual works and full length shows. Although I feel like I need to see all the videos before I leave, I may not make it.  What has happened is my mind being filled with memories. I have connected with people involved in the works by sending them edited footage. I am also being my own critic. Sometimes the work urges me to want to recreate them or better yet rework them… but some of the work is damn embarrassing. I shared so many intimate stories.

Removed Exposure (excerpt) at Festival of New Dance, St. John’s Newfoundland 2004

I have also been photographing and videotaping abstract images of bits of buildings, dramatic shadows and the water that will eventually overtake the city.

My days are also spent cooking and eating wonderful produce, fish, meat, cheese from the Rialto Market that is nearby and drinking Aperol Spritzers…. walking and getting lost between the Grand Canal, Calles, Campos and dark narrow streets that lead to dead ends.

The most inspiring moments were at the Fortuny Palace, a contemporary museum. I hope that inspiration will find its way into the maze of my own artifacts.

—Karen Bernard