Artist Lecture- Zoe Beloff

Zoe Beloff

I noticed from your website that your family especially your parents seem very influential and perhaps instrumental to your work.  Because your parents were both psychologists does psychology have any particular influence on your work?

Many of your films resemble characteristics of old films, by using slide projectors, hand cranked projectors, etc. Have you ever considered making a project using modern technology and what does this old technology have in relation to your film topics?

Response

Guest lecturer Zoe Beloff is a filmmaker, and works with projection performances, installations and drawings. I found Beloff’s work to be very fascinating and rousing. During Beloff’s lecture I was wondering why she spent so much time talking about Albert Grass, and not her “own” work until she revealed that she created Albert Grass, and the Coney Island Amateur Psychoanalytic Society was not real.  When Beloff first announced this I thought she was joking however then I thought about the society and how Beloff explained her project on Freud’s visit to Coney Island.  Beloff said she was assigned Freud brief visit in 1909 but in describing the project she alluded to Glass’s project rather than her Coney Island work.  Upon revealing that Glass was her creation and not real, one could notice clues Beloff said during the lecture.

Beloff seemed to answer both of my questions during her lecture.  Beloff’s work noticeably deals with psychology and medical conditions of people that interest her.  For instance, in Beloff’s video, “Charming Augustine” she showed and described through video and sound how young women with hysterics acted during the 1870’s.   Beloff later in the lecture discussed her Coney Island project and how she is interested in the real versus unreal. When asked during the lecture about the book of Albert Grass’s drawings Beloff stated, that her mother noticed that the drawings resembled Beloff’s.  I found this interesting that Beloff’s mother could tell they were her drawings however Beloff didn’t tell her mother that she was Albert Grass.  I found this to be fascinating because Beloff’s parents seem to be a major reason for why Beloff is so interested in psychology. 

Beloff answered my second question regarding modern technology.  People frequently comment that Beloff should redo her projects for television. Beloff is open to that now that 3-d television is available however she has not received enough funding.