In Process Offers A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Creativity In Action

The Watermill Center kicks off the first of its 2022 In Process series with an intimate look into the work of Finnish visual artist Ville Andersson and the Italian musical group Passepartout Duo on Friday, March 18.

“In Process is a unique chance for the community to experience the creative process of artists from around the world,” said Elka Rifkin, Director of The Watermill Center. “We position In Process in the middle of an artist’s residency to provide them the chance to share their work at its early stages and use the remainder of their time at The Center to continue its development. The series allows the public to become an active and engaged part of an artist’s process.”

Finnish artist Ville Andersson is a recipient of The Watermill Center’s 2022 Inga Maren Otto Fellowship, which provides support for visual artists who have demonstrated exceptional creative ability in their field. During his fellowship, Andersson is building upon Desert Music, a body of ink and pencil drawings he began during his 2018 residency at The Watermill Center that explores the stone works and sculptures curated throughout The Center’s building and grounds.

“The Watermill Center is one of my favorite places, and I am excited to have the opportunity to return there for a residency,” Andersson said. “The residency will provide a time of reflection, research, development, experimentation. The process and background research take a huge part of my work, even though it is not really present. At the same time, I will be open to surprises occurring in the creative process. A long stay at The Center will provide me the ideal time to focus on my practice and also let the surrounding artworks, buildings, and library inspire these artistic pursuits.”

Passepartout Duo is a music group from Italy composed of pianist Nicoletta Favari and percussionist Christopher Salvito. The duo is using their residency at The Watermill Center to explore the creation of new electronic interfaces for Reconfigured Landscapes. Combining research on textile fibers with electronic synthesis, the process aims to question the role of a musical interface today, making it an expression of the place it is built-in, influenced by the local identity, geography and natural resources. At the crossroad between an art installation and a performance, the final result will leave space for the audience to exert an active role in the soundscape by manipulating the textiles in space.

“The time spent at art institutions like The Watermill Center is very precious to our practice because of the value given to interdisciplinary approaches,” shares the duo. “Places like this are a springboard for us to try new things, often guided by the feedback of other artists and audiences. We are also looking forward to diving into and being inspired by the collection at The Center.”

The Watermill Center’s Artist Residency Program is process-based, providing artists with the time, space, and freedom to develop their work in a communal environment that encourages experimentation. Artists-in-Residence receive exclusive access to The Center’s expansive art collection, research library, theatrical archives, curated facilities and grounds as tools in the creation of new and exciting work.

In Process @ The Watermill Center is an ongoing series of studio visits and open rehearsals that invites audiences of all ages and backgrounds to gain insight into how artists from across the globe develop new work. Attendees are invited to visit the studio of each artist for a presentation of the work they are developing during their residency at The Center, followed by a brief Q&A. The Watermill Center is at 39 Watermill Towd Road, Water Mill. For more information about the center and its upcoming programs, visit watermillcenter.org.