"Scream for the camera, darling."
Such was the tagline of the short film that debuted at the elegant Museum of Photography in Balboa Park. Southwestern College arts professor Perry Vazquez produced and directed the film "Fotoaktion!," a documentary about Austrian artist Doris Boris Berman.
A poster was placed outside of the museum that depicted a woman screaming at the camera. This content and the location of this graphic certainly lured in passersby.
Guests who had come early enough helped themselves to fruit and chips that had been spread out in the lobby.
Attendees packed into the theater to view the film. Prior to the screening Vazquez introduced himself, and then introduced the muse and star of his film, Berman.
"I'm very humbled to know Doris," Vazquez said.
While Vazquez was in college at Stanford University he desired to publish an art magazine and placed an ad in a local paper asking artists to submit their work for his publication. Berman replied to the ad and the two have been friends since.
Shortly after introductions were made, the reels began to roll and the film began.
"Fotoaktion" begins with an introduction by Berman's mother, who is also a talented artist. She plays the piano, sings and draws. These talents were passed to her young daughter as well.
As a young child Berman wrote poems, music and learned to play the piano and guitar. Berman's mother noticed her daughter's talent and paid a local radio station to record some of Berman's music.
That was the launch of Berman's musical career. Radio station personnel enjoyed Berman's music so much that they asked her to return to the station the next day and play a live session. Soon after Berman received a contract from CBS Germany.
Berman got tired of singing German pop songs and left for photography school in San Francisco. It was there that Berman flourished as a visual artist. She joined other musical groups and was involved in several art projects. She also created fotoaktion, the art form the film is named for.
Fotoaktion is when a person does something and takes a picture of it. At first the idea sounds boring and limited but the film does a great job of portraying the vast directions this form of art could travel.
Towards the end of the film, Vazquez and Berman reunite at the San Diego airport to hold a fotoaktion exhibit. Immediately after Berman arrives at the airport, Vazquez takes her to various knick-knack stores looking for props to be used in the exhibit.
On the night of the exhibit, viewers saw the setup of the exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego. A white backdrop and an old fashioned camera greet viewers. A hose with a small ball at the end is attached to the camera and when the ball is squeezed the camera takes a picture. This way the subject can take pictures and be in them at the same time.
Many people came to be a part of this exhibit and they used all of the various props and costumes to create unusual pictures of themselves posing wildly.
"Fotoaktion!" ended with the memories and pictures of the exhibit that night. Soon after the lights came up, a question and answer session began.
Berman took the bulk of the questions, ranging from her inspiration to her pay as an artist. Berman also discussed her recent move and her new life back in Berlin. She flew out to San Diego just to see Vazquez's film.
"I've never seen it before," she said, "I'm very glad that my friend Perry Vazquez explains my art to me."
Even to an outsider who has never heard of Doris Boris Berman, it was an edifying and cultural experience that opened one's eyes to an entirely unique form of art.
Be the first to comment on this article!