In December 2010, UVP Everson featured “It Takes Two to Tango” and “MacDonaldi—King of Soap Bubbles” by London-based artist, Trine Lise Nedreaas.

About the Work

It Takes Two to Tango
Contrary to the title, “It Takes Two to Tango” features Bill dancing the tango on his own, leaving room in his arms for an imaginary partner. He seems comfortable alone, yet his open arms are an invitation to join him. The film can be seen as a metaphor for a lifetime. The journey we take through life we ultimately take on our own.

MacDonaldi – King of Soap Bubbles
In “Mac Donaldi—King of Soap Bubbles”, a mystical Mac Donaldi appears as a god-like being, a master of his own universe. Omnipotent yet playful, he creates mesmerizing smoke-filled bubbles that hover in the air before their brief existence draws to an inevitable close with a pop and a puff of smoke. This piece was filmed in front of a live audience in November 2008 at COMA (Center for Opinions in Music and Art), Berlin.

About the Artist

Nedreaas has written that she works in video because most of her ideas come as moving images. She works digitally using post-production techniques that allow her to easily manipulate her footage, working and reworking it until it feels as much made as filmed. She sees herself as an active director rather than a passive documentary-maker in her approach.

In discussing her work Nedreaas states: “I am interested in people’s reason for being and the drive to carry on and get out of bed every morning. I admire the enthusiasts, the people who try again and again, often banging their head against the wall; the different outlets people have for creating meaning, be it sausage eating, weight lifting, singing or acting as corpses. I sympathize with stuttering, stumbling and singing out of tune and I am fascinated by the weird and the beautiful, the vast and strange variety of human endeavors. I often use humor to strengthen a sense of unease and lack of fulfillment, and I question what roles we present to each other, what we want to achieve in life, whether it matters what we leave behind or what we are remembered for. By focusing on the specific and the intimate, I try to illuminate the large and the universal. I make films that portray individuals, often alone, sometimes determined and driven, but always trying.”

Nedreaas studied art history and philosophy at the University of Bergen before moving to London to train at St. Martins and the Slade School of Fine Art. Her work has been exhibited internationally and she is currently represented by Stephan Stoyanov Gallery, New York. In 2003 Nedreaas won the Royal Caribbean International Arts Grant 2003 Young Artist Award, the largest Norwegian Art prize for young artists. The same year she also received the Norwegian young artist working state scholarship from the Norwegian Artist Association.