New Motion Work: Celebrating the Time Honored Tea Tradition of Chai

As drink that is not just enjoyed but also is an ancient tradition for the people of India, Chai has now captured attention in the US and around the world. It whispers of secret tales, riches and remedies. It's taste, smell and even how it is made has layers of mystique and intrigue. Dusty, rich, aromatic. Hints of cinnamon and citrus? The healing powers add more to the intrigue. Something so good offers up the healing antioxidant powers of the spices that are toasted and then brewed into the caramel colored beverage. Gosh, I am finding myself wanting one just thinking about it.

My team and I were inspired by this assignment, excited to take the visual voyage in capturing a bit of the essence of this culinary tradition. We wanted to focus on the elements closely, the movement and at the same time the stillness and meditative quality, the seductiveness of the process and the appetite appeal.

"Pour" and "Ritual": Two New Videos Up on My Website

Video has been an exciting medium for me to move into. It brings me back to my studies of film and "4D Design" classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. Taking an image and applying the dimensions of time and sound. I have always tried to tell some sort of story in my still imagery, but in video it takes on a new dimension. Very exciting!

I also enjoyed the teamwork that goes into making a video. Each person of a well picked team has something valuable to contribute.

So take a peek- CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW VIDEOS

Here is a little description of them:

Ritual is a coffee story.  It is a very short video about the textures, sounds and experience that we have all fallen in love with when brewing a delicious cup of coffee. I can almost smell it!

Pour is a story about a glass of wine being enjoyed by it's owner as she prepares for a dinner party. We "discovered" some interesting visuals while doing this video and decided to use them in the final edit. We wanted to tell a slightly different story about enjoying wine, thus it is enjoyed while preparing for a party not just at a party. We hoped for a sense of quiet moment of enjoyment in anticipation of the event. Relaxing and yet fun. We chose music that could guide the pace of the edits- so the edits could kind of dance along or flow to it rather than just applying sound over an image. We wanted to do a drip at the end to have finality but also show the color and character of the wine.

Both wine and coffee were commanding subjects to work with. The kinds of passions they evoke, the complexities and histories they each hold. We could do a hundred of "stories" about them!

Hope you enjoy our drink "stories"