Jesse English
Kinetic Artist
More about W i c k f l i e s & Frogs; Artwork As Play
A
reoccurring thread in my work recognizes and utilizes the intrinsic playfulness
of creating art. I may do this by including images of a young person who
is already part of the environment where I am working. In these cases the
child represents myself, acknowledging that my art is my own
game-play. Often I may be creating a literal toy. For
instance, many of my creatures and objects could be seen as reconfigured
marionettes; or cross-pollinating pinwheels and yoyos with artifacts, flora and
fauna.
The materials I choose can often directly respond to my tendency to accept my work as a channel for continuous youth. This could be seen in Frogs, where I returned to an important place from my childhood, Devil’s Den Park. My brother and sister used this as a backdrop to record a simple creature made of chalk. The kinetic creature actually hops and spins. The configuration of a rubber-band works well with pencils, and was something I remember creating as a boy.
I have wanted to deal with the illumination of creatures in my work for some time. Like many children, I was always fascinated with fireflies. I still am. It is an enchanting mating ritual, captivating not only to fireflies, but the minds of the young at heart. As we know, children want to capture that beauty. They keep fireflies in jars. I have heard of young girls smearing the bugs on their lips and eyes, so they too will have that magical glow. For years, I have wanted to catch in my artwork, the spell-binding physical manifestation of the supernatural that lightning bugs so nonchalantly exude. I haven’t forced it; I have let the idea percolate.
For much of the time, I have thought that I would incorporate the actual insects’ glowing body as part of the film; yet I was never sure how I wanted to do this. I recently realized that their magic should inspire rather than simply be displayed. With this rather obvious revelation, I felt I had a starting point. Another thing I wanted to touch on in my work, and I will do it again, is how many insects live a second life. They begin with a crawling body, maybe never leaving a ten foot area, and then they gain a second body with unlimited traveling possibilities, reborn in every way. The firefly lives his second life simultaneously. They lead a double life. By day, they are simple beetles to overlook; by night, a bit more… yes, flashy.
My latest film, W i c k f l i e s, is a project where I chose to develop creatures specifically out of celebratory materials. In fact, I went to a few party stores while developing the creatures, to collect elements that inspired the form or the creature. Included in my purchase was: a can of silly string, a white feather boa, long and round balloons (of course), Mexican handcuffs, various party horns, Christmas tree-ornaments, Indian head-dresses, reigniting magic candles, and fireworks (of course). These are the things that spoke to me as symbols of celebration from my youth. From this list grew W i c k f l i e s. A trailer for this movie and the film Frogs are above.
