Bio
Louise Noguchiis a visual artist based in Toronto. Her artwork has been exhibited in Canada and internationally, including exhibitions at The Power Plant, Toronto, The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, The Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver, Centre A, Vancouver, Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin, Prince Takamado Gallery, Embassy of Canada, Tokyo, and the Deutsches Museum, Munich. Noguchi is an artist and a Professor in the Art and Art History Program at the University of Toronto Mississauga and Sheridan College. Her work is represented by Birch Contemporary in Toronto.
Videos
Questionaire
Why did you get involved in this project?
At the beginning of the covid-19 lock-down, there were a lot of unknowns—how long I will have to isolate? how contagious is the virus? how do I buy groceries? will I ever find any hand sanitizer? At least making work was something that I could figure out and it gave me a task to do. I was also very curious and excited to find out how the final collaborative work would turn out.
Did the one week turn-around for the work help or hinder your creativity?
It was perfect. During lock-down everyone was limited to staying within our own home and neighbourhood and told not to venture far, so I was limited as to where I could film. I like parameters and limitations when working because sometimes I spend too much time experimenting and trying different things out, which have little chance of making the final cut.
How did you feel about working on a project where you didn’t know who you were collaborating with?
Having worked in video before, I’m used to collaborating, often with people I have never met before. Everyone brings their own expertise, and usually the result is much better than what I could have imagined.
Has being involved in the project changed your thoughts on creativity?
I wouldn’t say that it changed my thoughts on creativity, but it has changed my thoughts on the idea of meaning in a work. As each person reinterpreted the writer’s words, the meaning changed until it was quite abstract (kind of like broken telephone). As I filmed my shots, I kept wondering what the writer would think of my interpretation of her words. I also wondered if the editor and sound person thought about the what the artist before them had in mind or if they were also thinking about the writing and adding their own interpretation. As an artist I’m always thinking about meaning in my work with the collaboration, you have to let this go.