From the moment I heard about Love TV, creation of performance artist, Rebecca McIntosh, I knew I had to know more. Fortunately for the E.C. community, she was kind enough to grant me an interview.
Q:
First of all, for those with their heads in the sand, could you give us the basic 411 of what you’re doing with Love TV?
A:
Love TV is a unique, bold and engaging interactive live art project that is winning hearts globally. The project sees local legends as well as celebrities sharing their most intimate stories in the most public of spaces. Interviewees share their tales of life and love within the private confines of my booth which are then broadcast live onto large screens for the local public to view and engage with.
Q:
Love TV was your brainchild. Yes? Since you started the project several years ago, you’ve been all over the world with it. Whenever one tackles an ambitious project like this it’s hard not to have expectations for how it’s going to go over. What were yours and which ones were dashed at your first site? In what ways has Love TV evolved since you first began?
A:
LOVE TV is a live art event that I have been developing for 10 years. It has grown from a small tent in festival clubs and bars to a large scale community engagement public art event in collaboration with creative producer Victoria Johnstone. The first time I presented LOVE TV initially it was leaping into a giant abyss.. it was ay the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2002 and I remember the audience waiting with baited breath to see what (if anything) would unfold! That night I ended up having the most phenomenal interviews with people, who honestly revealed the deepest details of their love lives. That’s how I knew I was onto something!!
This first presentation of LOVE TV was in a little tent which has now developed into a massive Hot Pink TV shaped booth. The conversations have diversified from primarily about romantic love into an exploration of communities identities and place. With the nature of a show that is absolutely spontaneous, it means I cannot control what my guests will say, often who will come into the booth and what will occur in the public space. The spontaneity is what inspires me as an Artists, is that it's exhilarating to open yourself up to the moment, focus on being incredibly present and truly enjoy the moment you’re sharing.
Q:
How are you adapting Love TV to the pulse and DNA of NYC? New Yorkers love to feel like the center of the universe. Will you support this inflated sense of self? Or give us a good healthy kick in the pants?
A:
I am just a conduit... I will be reflective more than projective. We are interested in exploring diversity of individual experiences of love and the complexity of how public spaces work. There is no place on earth like New York City so it’s an exceptional opportunity for us.
Q:
For the NYC incarnation of Love TV you are collaborating with the NYC Dept of Transportation. Let me put it to you this way, this is not the warmest fuzziest of agencies in town. What’s your secret? How have you cracked the tough macho exterior to unearth the sensitive child within ?
A:
Haha... Opposites attract! We are so very excited to be part of the DOT’s Urban Art Program! The New York City Department of Transportation launched the Urban Art Program in October 2008 to invigorate the City’s streetscapes with engaging temporary art installations. The Program partners with community organizations and artists to present murals, sculptures, projections, and performances on public property such as plazas, fences, barriers, footbridges, and sidewalks, so we are a great fit!
Q:
Why Aphrodite? Does she hold a special place in the heart of Rebecca McIntosh?
A:
This project emerged from an experiment I was doing with well-known rock’n’roll photographer Sophie Howarth. We wanted to explore ancient feminine archetypes in the modern world. So I would create myself into Mary mother of Jesus and go into a fish and chip shop, Kali and then Aphrodite! For Aphrodite I was washed onto Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach at dawn and I had to make my way to Kings Cross (Sydney's Red light district) by midnight. It was an amazing day, but what was really interesting was what people were saying to me... they were so open and engaged and available to conversation! Then I started going out as Aphrodite and filming my conversation with people about Love which was the ideal subject to discuss with people as this character.
Q:
During your NYC sojourn, you’ll be conducting interviews in a wide range of locales. Will you be making incognito site visits prior to the day of as part of your preparation? Or do you prefer to be caught by surprise by the local colour?
A:
This project has taken a number of years to evolve. We have partnered with multiple community groups throughout the five boroughs and what is paramount to it's success is that we authentically have a relationship with these communities and the sites we are presenting at. We have spent a significant amount of time reaching out to these communities to help develop a really strong program of guests from celebrities, to the new up-and-coming musicians, artists, politicians and the local baker who has run the bakery on the corner for the past 20 years. We have a call out for online nominations on our website www.lovetv.com.au if anyone wants to come on the show or really admire someone in their local community. However, who knows where Aphrodite and her clam may appear...
Q:
What are three of your favorite online sites for news &/or commentary regarding the Arts? Please provide urls for our readers.
A:
punkmonkpropaganda
realtime crowd sourced art experiment for the people by the people!
artinnewyorkcity.com
lostateminor.com
Thank you for taking an interest in Love TV and we hope to see you down at one of our sites over the next month. For more information head over to lovetv.com.au
Photographs by Richard Nolan-Neylan
