Kate Russell (She/her)
As a multidisciplinary creative, I primarily use installation and moving image to explore the space and surroundings that shape our experience. With an experimental approach, I aim to convey both pre-existing and new narratives that challenge our perception of reality. I am interested in exploring a range of subjects through a surrealistic lens: from rumours of vampires in Glasgow to the lonely pigeons outside my bedroom window. My process is playful and I enjoy exploring diverse ideation techniques to arrive at an unexpected outcome. For example, using words from a chatterbox game as prompts for creative thinking.
A Chatterbox Production
This project emerged from a desire for playful creativity and relinquishing control. It comprises a short moving image inspired by prompt words chosen through a game of chatterbox. The 28 words were generated online, and I invited a friend to play and select five of them. The words on the chatterbox’s outer side were unfamiliar to me but were intended to evoke subconscious associations and serve as the film title.
The chosen prompts were ‘applause,’ ‘pointless,’ ‘growth,’ and ‘connect,’ with the title ‘Camiknickers Henequin.’ The piece offers an honest and introspective interpretation influenced by experimental and surreal filmmakers.
Project Links
A Landscape of Fear and Stress
In a 1997 study at Ohio State University, 26 college females reported feelings of fear while walking a route after dark. The study identified physical factors (86% concealment, 12% entrapment) and social factors (30% presence of a stranger, 70% absence of others) as fear-inducing elements. Landscapes of Fear and Stress visualises this data through a virtual exhibition. The concept behind the exhibit is to create an immersive experience where visitors enter a completely dark room. As they make noise or the urban soundscape interacts with the code, various elements start to appear, simulating a journey home where they become extra aware of their surroundings.
The intention is to evoke a heightened sense of perception and engage visitors in an interactive exploration of the space. Due to the limitations of the software, visitors are able to explore and view recorded versions of the code. Clicking on the pieces redirects visitors to interactive code websites. The experience is designed to be solitary and replicates the physicality of the original study while representing physical factors and social factors. The digital representation allows for exploration of scale in a spacious environment, providing visitors with a taste of the intended real experience.
Project Links
Jenny Wi’ the Airn Teeth
In 1954, rumours spread throughout local schools in Gorbals, Glasgow, suggesting the presence of a vampire in the Southern Necropolis, who was allegedly killing children. One day after school, hundreds of children armed themselves with homemade weapons and gathered at the graveyard, aiming to catch the vampire. The situation escalated to the point where the police had to intervene and disperse the crowd. Several factors contributed to this event, including the influence of American horror comics and the popular folk tale known as ‘Jenny Wi’ the Airn Teeth,’ which warned children that a vampire would abduct them if they failed to sleep.
I decided to create a short film that focuses specifically on the latter, intertwining it with the events of that day in the Gorbals.
I aimed to capture the essence of 1950s television aesthetics. The resulting piece combines both digital and physical animation, providing a contextualised depiction of the haunting atmosphere and lingering sense of mystery that surrounded the vampire scare.
