Biography

Dinorah

Dinorah de Jesús Rodriguez is a film/video artist who has worked with projected imagery since the 1970's. Juxtaposing hand-crafted 16mm film with digital video, installation, sound and performance elements, her collage pieces have been exhibited internationally in film festivals, museums, galleries, TV, and street projections.  Known for her numerous interdisciplinary collaborations with dance and theatre companies and visual artists, Dinorah has infused her projected imagery into a variety of multimedia pieces. She has received awards, commissions, grants and residencies in support of her experimental work, from such organizations as Fundación Valparaíso, the Florida Division of the Arts, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Jentel Artists Residency Program, Tigertail Productions, the Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs Department and San Francisco Festival 2000. 

Dinorah has been a Guest Lecturer and Visiting Artist at the University of California at Davis, Florida International University and Visual Studies Workshop (an extension of State University of New York at Brockport). She has been an Artist in Residence at the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, where she facilitates multimedia projects with urban youth since 2000.

 [Content provided by Dinorah de Jesús Rodriguez]
 
 

CV

Dinorah [Dinorah de Jesús Rodríguez]

Awards/Artists Support

2005 - Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, Individual Artists’ Fellowship
2004 - Dade County Cultural Affairs Consortium, FL, Artist’s Enhancement Grant
2003, 2001 - Tigertail Productions, Miami, FL, Artists’ Access Grant
1998 - Miami Light Project, Miami, FL, Here and Now Project Grant
1990 - San Francisco Festival 2000, San Francisco, CA, Project Grant

Distinctions

2001 - 2007  Artist in Residence, Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL
2007 - Media Arts Jury Panelist, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, Baltimore, MD
2005 - Guest Curator, Hollywood Art and Culture Center, Hollywood, FL
1997 - 2001  Juried Artist, South Florida Art, Miami, Beach, FL
2000, 2001 -  Nominating Committee, National Video Resources/Rockefeller Foundation
1998, 2000 -  Media Arts Jury Panelist, Louisiana Division of the Arts
1998 - Media Arts Jury Panelist, New Forms Miami
1998 - Media Arts Jury Panelist, North Carolina Arts Council
1997 - Media Arts Jury Panelist, South Carolina Arts Council
1993 - Media Arts Fellowship Nominee, Rockefeller Foundation National Video Resources
1992 - Travel Fellowship Finalist, Fulbright Foundation
1978 - Resident, 16mm Film Production Intensive, Los Angeles Women’s Building

Residencies

2007 - Fundación Valparaíso, Almería, Spain
2005 - Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL
2004 - Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, NY
2002 - Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL
2001 - Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL
2003 - Jentel Artists’ Residency Program, Sheridan, WY 

Prizes

2003 - Black Maria Film Festival, 2nd Place/Jury’s Citation Award
2002 - Big Muddy Film Festival, Honorable Mention 

Public Archives/Collections

Atlantic Center for the Arts,
New Smyrna Beach, FL

Bass Museum of Art,
Miami Beach, FL

Bryn Mawr College Library,
Bryn Mawr, PA

Department of Film and Media Arts Archive,
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

Department of Film and Video Art Archive,
University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee

Department of Gender and Cultural Studies,
University of California at Berkeley

Department of Gender and Cultural Studies,
University of California at Davis

Department of Graduate Studies Media Archive,
University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA.

Diaspora Vibe Gallery,
Miami, FL

Latin American Video Archives (LAVA Video),
New York, NY

Pacific Film Archive at Berkeley Art Museum,
Berkeley, CA

Proyecto Videolab,
Lisbon, PORTUGAL

The Rockefeller Foundation National Video Resources,
New York, NY

Videoteca del Sur,
New York, NY

Visual Studies Workshop,
State University of New York, Brockport/Rochester, NY

Selected Speaking Engagements

2007 - Lover Other: The Work of Barbara Hammer; Discussion Moderatorl, Cinematheque,  Miami Beach, FL
2006 - Multimedia Applications in Performance, Lecture, University of California, Davis
2004 - The Precocious Preconscious: Works by Dinorah de Jesús Rodriguez, Cinematheque,  Miami Beach, FL
2004 - Hand-crafted 16mm Film; Lecture, Visual Studies Workshop, SUNY Brockport/Rochester, NY
2003 - The Festival of Alternative Cuban Film, Panel Discussion, Tower Theatre, Miami, FL
2003 - The Experimental Show; Panel Discussion, Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL
1997 - Made in the U.S.A.: 40 Years of Independent Cuban Film, Panel Discussion, Alliance for  Media Arts, Miami, FL
1991 - Myth, Memory & Magic; Panel Discussion, Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA
1990 - Festival 2000; Panel Discussion, Kabuki Theatre, San Francisco, CA

Artist Interviews

2003 - Interviews with Filmmakers from Women of Color Film Festival, KPFA Radio,  Berkeley, CA
2003 - Cabletap, Interview, WLRN-TV, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
1998 - Generation Ñ, Interview, WAMI-TV, Miami
1997 - Qué Pasa Miami, Interview, GEMS-TV International Spanish Language Cable Network

Teaching Positions

2007 - Co-Director, Flashlight Project, Miami-Dade County
2001 - 2007  Co-Director of Education Programming, Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach
2006 - Guest Lecturer, University of California at Davis, Gender and Cultural Studies Dept
2005, 2006 - Visiting Artist, Visual Studies Workshop (SUNY at Brockport/Rochester)
2004, 2006 - Workshop Instructor, Wolfsonian Museum, Florida International University
1997 - 2001 Workshop Instructor, South Florida Art Center, Miami
1993 -1997  Workshop Instructor, Alliance for Media Arts, Miami

Education

1988 - School of Creative Arts at San Francisco State University, B.A. Film Production
1984 - 1985  San Francisco City College
1978 - San Francisco Art Institute
1978 - Women’s 16mm Workshop, Women’s Building, Los Angeles
1976 - 1978  School of Public Communication at Boston University
1975 - Connecticut School of Broadcasting

Selected Exhibitions

2007 -  Way Out, Miami Gay Lesbian Film Festival Centerpiece Party, Hispaniola Way Art Center,  Miami Beach, FL
2006 - San Diego Women's Film Festival, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego
2006 - Festival du Cinéma de Paris, Paris, FRANCE
2006 - Thessaloniki Film Festival, Thessaloniki, GREECE
2006 - IPO Satellite Office, 801 Projects, Miami, FL
2006 -  Blood/Regeneration, Galería La Rampa, San Francisco, CA
2005  - (Art Basel) Plural Miami, EdgeZones Gallery/World Arts Building, Wynwood Arts District,  Miami, FL
2005 - Optic Nerve, Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL
2005 - Flicker Film Festival, Spokane, WA
2005 - IPO: The Bored Room, Here and Now Festival, Miami Light Project, Miami, FL
2004  (Art Basel) Miami NOW, EdgeZones Gallery/World Arts Building, Wynwood Arts District,  Miami, FL
2004 - IPO Branding, scopeMiami Centerpiece Party, TownHouse Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
2004 - New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, New York, NY
2004 - The Precocious Preconscious: Works by Dinorah de Jesús Rodriguez, Cinematheque,  Miami Beach, FL
2003 - Festival of Alternative Cuban Cinema (Solo Program), Tower Theatre, Miami, FL
2003 - Girls on Film Screening Series, ATA Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2003 - Not Still Art Festival, Micro Museum, New York, NY
2003 - The Black Maria Film Festival (2nd Place Jury’s Citation Award), U.S. Tour
2003 - Surreal Saturday, PS742, Miami, FL
2003 - Women of Color Film Festival, Pacific Film Archive at Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley, CA
2003 - The Experimental Show, Bass Museum of Art, Miami
2002 - Ybor City Moving Image Festival, Tampa, FL
2002 - Asian Pacific American Film Festival, The Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC
2002 - Optic Nerve, Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL
2002, 1992 - Athens International Film Festival, Athena Cinema, Athens, OH
2002 - Big Muddy Film Festival (Honorable Mention), Chicago, IL
2002 - Subtropics Surreal Marathon, PS 742, Miami, FL
2002 - Poetics and Fear, Cinematech at Israeli Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv, Israel
2002 - Radical Women of Color for the 21st Century, University of California, Berkeley, CA
2001 - Megacosm, Bass Museum of Art, Miami, FL
2001 - InsideOut and Image Party, Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL 2000 - The Anatomy of Desire, Colony Theatre, Miami Beach, FL
1999 - Director’s Cut, Richard Schack Gallery, Miami Beach, FL
1999 - Opening Night Street Projection, Artemis Performance Network, Miami, FL
1999 - Cinema of the Americas: Latin American and Caribbean Film Festival, Miami, FL
1998 - New Blood: 1997 Juried Artists, South Florida Art Center, Miami, FL
1998 - Here and Now, Miami Light Project/New World School of the Arts, Miami, FL 1997 - New Plays (".Epar"), New Theatre, Coral Gables, FL
1997 - Made in the U.S.A.: 40 Years of Independent Cuban Film, Alliance for Media Arts,  Miami, FL
1995 - Quinto Encuentro de Video, National Cuban TV, Havana, CUBA
1994 - Women in the Director’s Chair International Film and Video Festival, U.S. Tour
1993 - Hand-Held Journeys, Joseph Papp Public Theatre, New York, NY
1992 - Afro-Latino Images, Downtown Community TV Center, New York, NY
1992 -  Women’s Erotic Film Festival, Roxie Theatre, San Francisco, CA
1992 - Guadelupe Cinefest, Guadelupe Arts Center, San Antonio, TX,
1991 - Myth, Memory and Magic, Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA
1991 - Images Festival of Independent Film and Video, Toronto, CANADA
1991 - 37 49’N/122 22’W: New Bay Area Work, Cinematheque, San Francisco, CA
1991 - Images and Visions, La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA
1991 - Cultural Legacies, Peralta Colleges Television PCTV, Oakland, CA
1990 - Works from Festival 2000, KQED-TV Channel 32, San Francisco, CA
1990 - Festival 2000, Kabuki Theatre, San Francisco, CA
1987 - Independent Shorts, ATA Gallery, San Francisco, CA 
1986 - International Women’s Day Festival, Old Wives’ Tales Bookstore, San Francisco, CA 

Films

2007 - Telepatía (2007, 06;17)  "All the sex that we are having and not having in virtual reality..."

2006 - Is It True Blondes Have More Fun?  (2006, 0:30)  A graffitti remake of the classic Clairol hair dye ad from the 1960's.

2005 - you are the product of a sex tabú  (2005, 02:13) A look at the relationship between media and human sexuality, and the drive to attain a state of purity.

2005 - Global Medea  (2005, 03:48)  An analysis of communication, cross-cultural understanding, social mores and contemporary values under the influence of globalization.  Soundtrack by J Foster Peone.

2005 - Dialogue in Space (2005, 01:32)  A short video loop made in collaboration with visual artist Michelle Weinberg in which two aesthetic languages struggle to dialogue within the space of the video frame and the minds of two female artists.

2004 - female alchemy: a video symphony in seven movements (2004, 30:00)
Conceived as a "step-by-step guide to womanhood" and designed to be experienced as a linear cinematic experience and/or a 7-channel video installation, this piece weaves home movies and handcrafted film segments into seven self-contained short works joined by a common thematic purpose; with contributions of poetry, music and performance by a variety of artists, including beat poet Anne Waldman and composer Gabriela Lena Frank.

2002 - Cortejo  (2002, 04:27) A visit to the cemetery unleashes the force of the feminine psyche in this surrealist narrative starring Cuban stage actress Magaly Agüero and set to original score by composer Ken Field.

2001 - Un nombre de mujer  (2001, Film/Video, 06:25) An image embarks upon a journey of self-discovery in response to a mysterious phone call; music by 1960’s Cuban pop idols, Los Zafiros.

2001 - Afterlife  (2001, 04:14) Produced in residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in collaboration with filmmakers Karen Aqua and James Espinas, the piece addresses the aftermath of 9/11 in a parallel between the personal and universal through metaphors drawn from the surrounding subtropical landscape.

2001 - L’anatomie du désir  (2001,  05:25)  A tribute to biophysical impulses, this 16mm assemblage of erotic images, found footage and distressed film was originally projected onto the torso of Butoh artist Helena Thevenot as part of the one-hour performance pieceThe Anatomy of Desire. The video version was created in collaboration with sound artist Gustavo Matamoros as an experiment in texture and synchronicity.

1998 - (In Loving Memory...) for Soraya  (1998, 05:07) A meditation upon a young woman murdered by her husband and a peek into dimensions of intimacy and private space. Funded in part by Miami Light Project Here and Now Award.

1997 - Dolor y Perdón (1997, 03:16) A collage of deconstructed film images shot with obsolete and defective cameras, the piece is an homage to the body and its propensity for love, pain, endurance and ultimate detachment; set to the classic bolero bearing the same title, as performed by contemporary Afro-Cuban ensemble, Conjunto Céspedes.

1990 - A Trilogy: Ochún/Oricha - El Balance - Guerreros  (1990, 28:00)  This stylistic collage addresses balance between "feminine" and "masculine" forces and the meshing of inner and outer realities. The work consists of three shorts and the animated sequences between them; filmed internationally with an original score by multicultural artists, Guillermo and Bobi Céspedes, Thierry Diallo, William R. Jack, Ustad Habib Khan and Auschim Chadhouri; drawings by Bárbara Safille. Funded in part by San Francisco Festival 2000.
 

Installations

2005 - Everywhere, Marie (2005) A series of site-specific moving image installations consisting of a puppet made of reflective material (celluloid, metal plates), a film loop that is projected upon the face of the puppet, throwing reflections of the projected images onto the surrounding environment, and a soundtrack consisting of traditional Mardi Gras music by New Orleans jazz musicians.  This piece is dedicated to the memory of Marie Laveau, a well-known New Orleans sorceress who lived during the 19th century and was known for her supernatural powers, including the power of astral projection which allowed her to appear in multiple locations at the same time.  The installation has had two manifestations in two locations: a swamp in rural central Florida during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and in the bathroom of a Miami gallery during the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma. Presented at Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL and Edgezones Gallery, Miami, FL (Art Basel 2005).

2003 - SET: A Set of Settings Unsettling Set Ways (2003) Created in collaboration with artists Denise Delgado, Tatiana Saínz and Michelle Weinberg, this piece transforms a black box theatre space into an interactive unfolding of dramatic obsessions and transitory illusions utilizing 3-dimensional media, transparencies, video and 16mm projections. Local performance artists are invited to present their works upon the installed Set during the duration of the exhibition.  Presented at PS 742 in Miami.

2001 - Image Party (2001)  This interactive moving image installation consists of 5 hand-painted 16mm film loops projected into floor-to-ceiling mirrors and throwing reflected imagery outside onto the foliage visible through the studio’s sliding glass doors, with live music by Ken Field, John Eacott, James Espinas and Raúl Garcia. Visitors are invited to enter the installation with video cameras, to affect the installation imagery by inserting their own reflections in the path of the projections, and to videotape the imagery that is created in the process. Presented in the dance studio at Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, FL

Multimedia

2007 - Swallowing the Moon (2007, Multimedia Performance, 30 min.) An experimental movement theatre piece by Brazilian choreographer Lucia Aratanha adapted from the short story "Amor" by Clarice Lispector and using multiple screen projections.

2006 - Cabaret Unkempt (2006, Multimedia Performance, 1 Hr.) A collaborative multimedia work written and directed by performance artist Jennylin Duany of Akropolis Acting Company. The work consists of two performers, a minimal set and an array of 16mm, video, slides and overhead projections that act as structural and narrative elements of the one-hour performance, which addresses the theme of body image in relation to size, race and social class.

2004 -2007  IPO (2004-2007, Multimedia Performance Series)  A collaborative performance series in collaboration with choreographer Octavio Campos and visual artist Michelle Weinberg, IPO examines how the intuitive, fluid nature of artmaking is both disrupted and energized by the insertion of banal economic facts. Through the use of interdisciplinary media, IPO provides an experimental forum in time and space on the status of the artistic process and product today, advancing a coherent theory of art economics by adhering to a corporate structure. The action and visual elements of IPO will progress according to the distinct phases of launching a business venture. The tangible components of IPO include movement, spoken word, sound, film/video, set design, and a website.

2001 - Image Party (2001, Interactive Installation/Performance)  Presented in the dance studio at Atlantic Center for the Arts, utilizing hand-painted film loops projected into mirrors and throwing reflected imagery outside onto the foliage visible through the studio’s floor-to-ceiling glass doors; with live music by Ken Field, John Eacott, James Espinas and Raúl Garcia and interactive shadow dance performed by visitors invited to videotape the event.

2000 - The Anatomy of Desire (2000, Film/Performance, 1 Hr.)  A one-hour multimedia performance piece choreographed and directed by Butoh artist Helena Thevenot and experimental sound artist Gustavo Matamoros which includes a segment of 16mm film projected onto the nude body of the performer. The work explores and deconstructs the physical as well as theoretical implications of desire: its biophysical impulses, functions, purpose and direction.

1997 - Epar (1997, Multimedia Performance, 1 hr.) An interdisciplinary piece exploring rape and its ironic aftermath through dance, spoken word, 16mm film projections, video and live music. Written and directed by Ricky Martinez, choreographed by Lucia Arathanha and Giovanni Luquini, performed by Akropolis Acting Company with music by cellist Michelle Maiorana. Film work commissioned by New Theatre, Coral Gables.

URL: www.solislandmediaworks.com

[Content provided by Dinorah de Jesús Rodríguez]

Gallery 1

Dinorah

This installation consists of a vintage Peep Show booth made of wood and painted entirely black, with a neon sign above the entrance that blinks on and off: XXX. Beneath the neon sign is a printed sign that reads: "Must be 18 years old to enter". Inside the booth is a TV screen and a set of headphones. One at a time, viewers enter the booth, read the instructions on the screen, and pull the maroon velvet curtain behind them so that they are totally alone. The viewer (following the instructions) drops a coin into a slot, sits in a chair, places a keyboard on his/her lap, puts on a set of headphones and hits a button (Play) which begins the 3-minute peep show. The screen instantly begins to display 3 videos simultaneously (side by side), entitled: "Is Sex Safe?" "Cyberputa" and "How come you don't trust me?" The 3 film/video works in this installation are made from hand-crafted 16mm film, including a wide variety of clips from vintage pornography and vintage television commercials. The images are sexually explicit, yet technologically distressed so that a psychological barrier is created between the viewer and the erotic titillation intended in the actual imagery. While watching the 3 films simultaneously, the viewer is also listening to a recording of Etta James singing "Trust in Me" and propelled into a dizzying experience of sexual enticement, frustration and introspection. While watching and listening, the viewer is also able to type erotic messages on the keyboard and "chat" with the image of Cyberputa and the text will appear on the screen beneath the image. Once the peep show ends, the screen is erased and the viewer may leave without any trace of his/her erotic experience inside the booth. The aim of this work is to dissect the consumerist mentality we now attach to sexuality while addressing issues of personal safety in medical, social, emotional and spiritual terms. The work points to the mechanization and technological manipulation of our unconscious sexual impulses and the manner in which human sexuality has been stripped of its original and natural function in our lives while propelling us into a state of hypnotized hyperconsumerism. In short, the work offers viewers an opportunity for safe sex, a safe place in which to enjoy it, and the psychological safety of anonymity while consuming it. [Content provided by Dinorah]

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