JESSE MCLEAN & THAD KELLSTADT
Jesse McLean is an award-winning filmmaker and video artist. Her work has screened at various festivals including Chicago Underground Festival, Black Maria Film and Video Festival, Rooftop Films Summer Series, and Venice Film Festival. Thad Kellstadt is a poet, painter, musician, video and sound artist. His work has appeared at LUMP Gallery in North Carolina, Alice Gallery Art Brussels, and The Mattress Factory in Pennsylvania. They will be presenting work at Dreamland Film Center [810 East Market Street] on Saturday November 5th, 2011. This will be their first visit to Louisville.
Yinzers are from Pittsburgh via Chicago? Who has the better football team? Who has the better sandwiches?
J: I don’t really watch football, but when I do, it’s the Steelers!
T: Chicago has a football team?
J: As for sandwiches, Pittsburgh is famous for the deliciously terrible idea of French fries and coleslaw on a sandwich. Chicago is more of a hotdog town so I’d say Pittsburgh wins for sandwiches but Chicago’s got the red-hot prize.
T: I would have to say Pittsburgh as well. Primanti Brothers is excellent, as well as so many other spots in town. Pittsburgh takes the gold!
You are married, right? Is it tricky to be married and artistic collaborators? Who does the dishes? Who writes the grants?
J: We collaborate in ways that aid each other, for example Thad always helps with my soundtracks because he’s got a great ear and is a really talented musician. We don’t necessarily collaborate from the ground up, but we aren’t opposed to that idea. And we always give each other critical feedback.
T: Jesse taught me how to use editing software. It’s also huge to have someone around to give feedback. As far as dishes, we collaborate on that and are looking for some grant money to get them done.
J: I do the dishes. Thad takes out the trash. These are metaphors.
Jesse’s videos make use of a lot of found footage, or recycled images. When creating the soundtracks, Thad, do you create new sound or make use of found material as well?
T: Both. I sample music from all over the place. I also record my own music. Sometimes I have an idea in mind for the sounds I want. Other times I find something that fits into place or I am inspired to work with. I use a variety of methods and technologies, from acoustic guitars to outdated drum machines to Ableton Live. Everything gets heavily manipulated.
These found images are comprised of home movies, broadcast news, television shows, Hollywood fanfare. Jesse, what’s your process for collecting all these videos?
J: It’s a combination of saving things I find compelling and searching out material to support the project. The latter is more common in my practice. I watch a lot of movies and certain lines or scenes will stand out so I file them away for later use. But once an idea gets rolling, I usually have to seek out additional material. It’s important for me to be tapping into a bank of material that belongs to the public. I find it exciting to work with potentially familiar imagery, to try to renegotiate or even question that existing relationship between viewer and media. In the past, I’ve mined from just a few sources per piece. But my most recent work “Remote” works on associational or even dream logic, so there are lots of sources, from original footage, to drone test pilots and horror. Lots of horror!
Anything else ya’ll like to add?
J+T: We’re super excited to be presenting our work in Louisville! Hope to see you at the show!
– interview by Ryan Daly
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