Elisa Zorraquin
In These Challenging Times
Presented by Elisa Zorraquin, a recent MFA graduate of the School of Art
Online on Craft throughout October 2020, 24/7
A poem, a necklace and my body compose this film. Tokens that discover and contain everyday joys.
Art in isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the idea of making the most of what we have at hand are addressed in this film, shot in the intimacy of Elisa Zorraquin’s home. In These Challenging Times depicts the artist and her work as she becomes both performer and filmmaker, inspired to explore new skills out of need. Ideas about what we have, what we’ve lost and what we are unsure will persist, gave rise to a poem. The journey undertaken to achieve the dream of an artwork is documented and presents the transformation of a necklace in time. Interestingly, the artist’s body was transforming too, as she expected a baby. The world seems to stop but can never fully grind to a halt. The inevitability of life in nature and human creation, be it a baby or art, is reflected in this work.