| Justin Jorgensen: Party Monster |
| Written by Nathan Spoor Tuesday, 10 March 2009 00:01 | |||
 Hi-Fructose gets an exclusive preview of Los Angeles conceptual artist Justin Jorgensen. Join us as Justin answers a few questions about his work and himself, and still manages to rise above tying himself up with definitions. "Party Monster is a show with lots of photos, but I dont call myself a photographer," he states. And once we pried a bit more, we found out why...
Hi-Fructose gets an exclusive preview of Los Angeles conceptual artist Justin Jorgensen. Join us as Justin answers a few questions about his work and himself, and still manages to rise above tying himself up with definitions. "Party Monster is a show with lots of photos, but I dont call myself a photographer," he states. And once we pried a bit more, we found out why.  Party Monster Are you primarily a visual artist or photographer, or is it a pursuit of passion despite a daytime job interest? My passion is in ideas. The media or medium I use is always dictated by the best way to execute the concept. Party Monster is a show with lots of photos, but I dont call myself a photographer. When I wrote a book I didnt consider myself a writer. I just learn the skills needed to execute a project. I always go back to what is the best way to express this idea?  Interior shot of location for Party Monster I entered CalArts in the art program and stayed there for two years before transferring to character animation, then in my fourth year I double-majored with scenic design. The art program taught me how to talk, how to choose my words wisely and say what I mean (which is no petty skill), as well as keeping the work true and focused. Character animation improved my drawing ability but more importantly taught me specifics about communicating visually (making sure your intention reads) and the basics of clear storytelling. Being in scenic design was an extension of that into three-dimensions. Everything I learned at CalArts didnt show up in my practice until years after graduation. Trying to produce work while there was like trying to build a house on a boat in a hurricane. Youre being bombarded with ideas and theories and criticism and everything you know is being challenged and you have nothing solid to stand on to make a departure from. I needed to let that information settle and sift through it for a few years.  Interior shot of location for Party Monster Its autobiographical, but I didnt understand that when I began. I kept working towards what felt correct; in the year that followed Id understand why those decisions felt correct. I dont want to dictate how the work is to be read, but clearly the experience of my childhood and adolescence greatly influenced this work. And I dont mean that in an only aesthetic way. In the end I had to decipher what is the appeal of these elements, why do they resonate with me?  Interior shot of location for Party Monster I started making some Photoshop sketches over my pictures of abandoned interiors to see if it gave the feel I wanted. Eventually I accepted that I needed a monster and had to fabricate the costume which had to fit over layers of heavily insulated clothes. The shoot itself was a challenge because we were in the middle of nowhere in about 10 degrees for several hours. Then youre worried about falling through the floor, or your camera freezing up, or the car getting stuck. I had to work fast. My brother who was in the costume couldnt wipe his nose and the entire front of the costume was wet with snot when we were done.  Interior shot of location for Party Monster I hope it haunts them.  Interior shot of location for Party Monster I have a decade of notebooks filled with installations and experiences I cant yet afford to realize. And just out of curiosity, if you could produce a body of work anywhere in the world, what would it consist of and how would you envision it being received? This is easy. A giant 300-foot tall castle next to I-94 about an hour west of Fargo. North Dakota has a history of building big things in the middle of nowhere. We have the worlds largest cow, buffalo, turtle made of tractor tires, and we used to have a giant King-Kong-sized gorilla called Og. My castle would be a 2-D flat. Youd see it from miles away. When you finally get to the base youd see its 12 feet off the ground so you cant reach it. Its just a giant looming unattainable thing. Its simultaneously inspirational and a big Fuck You! its indicative of my relationship with North Dakota. I think of this piece often.  Interior shot of location for Party Monster  Interior shot of location for Party Monster -Brought to you by Nathan Spoor       
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