Louise's work reflects an autobiographical exploration, reflecting identity as a process by engaging in intuition and body and form. Her art practice constantly renegotiates her day-to-day physical and psychological experience through a combination of video and drawing processes. Using web-cam technology and hand drawn elements Tahiraj creates a ‘lo-fi’ aesthetic, which stems from ‘spaces of boredom’ that she experiences commonly on the Internet. This experience arises out of excess possibilities at her disposal coupled with a self-limiting inability to access all of these possibilities.
Louise Tahiraj, Total Flip Out, 2009
What is appealing about Louise's work is her experimentation with new techniques, such as collage, drawing, blu-screen technology and video performance. There is a clunky, playful aspect to her work which reflects the pursuit of self-exploration and revelation in her art, and Louise incorporates boldily exploration by staging conventions like dress up and body paint. Louise's work also conveys themes of cyber jargon, and challenges positive-negative relationship between hearing and not seeing or vice versa, which is interesting. In this sense a lot of her work is monochromatic in colour, so not to detract from the concept...or if there is colour or sound, it is very natural and intuitive, based on Louise's current state of emotions or action.
Louise Tahiraj, 2009. Analogue Dialogue, video still.
Louise Tahiraj, 2009. Totally MyFace.
Louise Tahiraj, 2010. Body Collage, video still.
When we met as a group, I think I was really lucky in that I didn't actually pick Louise (I was happy with the original group allocation) and yet we all really seem to be in tune with what to take from Louise's work and where we want to take the project. As a group collective, we're quite interested in experimenting with some of the Blu-screen techniques Louise uses, which will be the thematic tie to all our work. But personally, what I will take from Louise is her intuitive processes of uncovering oneself, and taking that literally by taking and experimenting with body shapes and layers to create something which sort of reflects the self-exploration and acceptance of the diverse aspects, layers, which identify an individual. I also really would like to maintain a black and white, or minimal colour tone aesthetic to this creation so as not to distract from the concept behind it.
I think one of the best things Louise said right from the outset about intuitive practice is feeling rather than seeing; her work is so interested in exploring the naked eye perspective, and afterall much of the work is born out of boredom...so naturally the process is about not being afraid about an unfinished product, or something that is a little bit clumsily put together. The exploration of oneself uncovers many complex layers and nothing is perfect.
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