Jessica Carey (B.F.A. ’16) had never envisioned herself in Canada’s Bay of Fundy, nor did she know about its legendary 50-foot tide rises—but last fall that’s exactly where she found herself, dressed in waterproof overalls, assisting a video shoot for VCUarts Associate Professor Hope Ginsburg.
“We worked two 11-hour days and laughed the whole time,” says Carey, a senior in the photography and film department, “but I’ve learned a lot about professionalism and how to communicate from Hope. She’s been a great mentor.”
Ginsburg recruited Carey to be second cameraperson on the video shoot for “Land Dive Team: Bay of Fundy,” the latest iteration of “Breathing on Land,” Ginsburg’s ongoing project depicting scuba divers meditating on land in various settings. In the Bay of Fundy, Ginsburg was interested in capturing video of the Bay’s tide rising above the heads of her “Land Dive” meditators, which made for interesting shooting for Carey, lead cameraman Matt Flowers (B.F.A. ’03) and sound producer Joshua Quarles (B.S. ’94).
They arrived before sunrise and had one chance to make the shot. “The tide came in so fast we were scrambling to get in our gear before it was all the way up the beach,” remembers Ginsburg. Carey and Ginsburg had worked together before. The two met when Carey took Ginsburg’s Time Studio Art Foundation class her freshman year, which, she says, was instrumental in helping her choose film as a major. Over the years, Ginsburg recruited Carey to contribute to her projects in various ways.
“Working with students is one of the best things about teaching, and being part of the VCUarts community,” says Ginsburg. “It’s also how I learned. I had mentors who pulled me in on projects and I think it’s an incredibly valuable experience to work on real world projects. And I think the keenest students figure that out.”
“Land Dive Team: Bay of Fundy” was part of an exhibition at the Tyler School of Art’s Temple Contemporary gallery in Philadelphia and at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Mass., in May of this year.
Image: “Land Dive Team: Bay of Fundy,” 2016. Courtesy of Hope Ginsburg.
This article originally appeared in the VCUarts Studio Newsletter, spring 2016. To read more from this addition, or to browse other VCUarts publications, head over to the VCUarts website.
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