Ongoing Box is a proposed (and partially completed) documentary film investigating the role of process and its various manifestations in artistic endeavors. The film combines work-in-progress views into Pittsburgh artists’ studios, artist interviews, and studio experiments. The film’s definition of “artist” extends to chefs (Kevin Sousa), luthiers (Raymond Morin), choreographers (Maree ReMalia), actors (Mark C. Thompson), and potential artists in training, i.e. children and teens. Traditional arts like painting, video, and installation art are also represented through segments with Lenka Clayton, Stephanie Armbruster, and Blaine Siegel.
The title, Ongoing Box, refers to the idea that each action or development an artist makes expands their “box” – their approach, their framework, their history. By documenting these approaches, one goal is to expand a community’s understanding of the artistic environment they are living in.
The film will serve multiple purposes: 1) Pittsburgh is undergoing another vibrant period of experimentation and engagement in the arts. This film will present a snapshot of in-progress works, artist techniques, and commentary on the conditions of the artist in Pittsburgh. 2) Much of art appreciation comes upon viewing the end result: a gallery installation, a finished film, a dance presentation, and a served meal. Ongoing Box will show the behind-the-scenes world of the artist – the excitement of discovery, the monotony, the patience, the self-doubt, the reward. 3) The film, while focusing on artists in the community, will also extend the framework of the documentary film to show the progress of creating the film within the film through reprojection techniques, multiple edits, and self-reference.
Learn more about Ongoing Box at davidbernabo.com
