Karen Abadie is an artist and filmmaker, using both video and 16mm film installation to articulate issues associated with mental health. She is a passionate protagonist for the body and is currently doing a research led PhD that aims to raise awareness of mental health issues through embodiment.
She recently won a grant from the Arts Council’s Developing your Creative Practice fund, which has allowed her to delve deep into the world of analogue film, using both colour and black and white processing to create film articulates this embodied approach to mental health. Recent and current projects include Inner Wilderness, an outdoor video and sound installation in Holy Trinity Church, Buckfastleigh, which explores the theme of loss and Behind Closed Doors, a Plymouth-wide project exploring domestic abuse.
Q & A with Karen
What do you love about showing and/or making work in Plymouth?
I like working in and responding to some of the more off the beaten track places in Plymouth, attracting audiences who stumble into the work and are surprised by what they see.
What can you tell us about this project, and why is now a good time to share it?
Flesh [Wound] is a film installation that demands you relate with your body viscerally. The work challenges ideas of mental health, suggesting emotional wellbeing is more than just a ‘mental’ issue. It celebrates the body, suggesting that we are primarily the intelligence of our bodies. The work is a culmination of the project I have done as a result of the Arts Council DYCP bid.
What are you excited to see at this year’s PAW, and why?
I’m not sure yet, but I am interested in immersive installation practice so Kate Paxman‘s work will be interesting.
25, 26 & 27 Sept 2020 