Photo By Jenise Treuting

Jenise Treuting

Drawing from her experience as a U.S. citizen living in Japan, video essayist and documentary filmmaker JENISE TREUTING has a unique perspective on the world that filters down into her work. She focuses upon such matters as cross-cultural communication. Check out five things that inspire and motivate this fascinating artist.

Connection. The most telling moments in my work, and the ones that ultimately shape the work as a whole, seem to be those where some kind of connection is unexpectedly made. Rather than using a storyboard, I let random moments direct the story I'm trying to tell. It was a random moment of connection that kept me in Japan. While waiting red-faced in the unbearable August heat for a traffic light to change, the old woman standing next to me tilted her parasol to shade me from the sun -- without saying a word. It was a very telling moment.

Framing. I look for strong lines that frame within the lens and for pinpointed streams of movement against stillness.

Artlessness. I am drawn to the raw, to the pure, to the undecorated.

Collaboration. I've been working with So Percussion on music/video performance pieces. I've been deeply inspired by the process of blending viewpoints and media. This same process is what I find so intriguing about doing interviews for my video essays.

Participation. I am inspired by people who stand up and speak out, who actively participate in the world around them. Harry Taylor and Ray McGovern are two of the most recent people to inspire me through their participation.

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ARTICULATIONS offers five things important to one of Cincinnati's visual artists. To be considered contact Jacquelyn Vaughn at jvaughn(at)citybeat.com