From Julie:

Hi everyone! I have been selected to be a part of the UnionDocs Collaborative Studio, a 10-week creative online residency inviting 12 artists. The theme is “Feral Domesticity”, and if you’ve seen my previous work or heard me talk about my research, you know I’ve been thinking about the home space and intimacy quite a lot (if you’ve never heard me ramble about it, ask me a question and I’ll get started!)

The collaborative nature of this program is really dear to me since I’ve never had the opportunity to work with so many people at the same time. It’s also really amazing to be in dialogue with people from such different horizons and artistic backgrounds!

This crowdfunding campaign is to help me pay the fees associated with the program. Where does your money go? UnionDocs is an ethical group that pays the collaborators, guests and artists who will intervene in this workshop. I know this is a really tough time in life, and I really asked myself if it were indecent to ask for financial support when everyone is going through so much instability. I’m not sure I’m totally at peace with it yet, but here I am. Ask me for an update in one or two weeks or I’ll tell you everything in a postcard!

You can watch my previous film, Cenotaph, below!

Julie Le Hegarat is a scholar, practitioner, and educator working at the intersection of film, media, and literature. She’s interested in experimental documentaries, especially essayist and first-person based. Her current project is a cross-cultural analysis of cannibal women in texts by women. Her previous visual work explored different kinds of intimacies and how we inhabit domestic spaces. A native of France, she’s been in the Midwest for 10 years, which has given her a lot of material to work with.

About the CoLAB:

The UnionDocs Collaborative Studio (CoLAB) is a program for a select group of media artists from the US and abroad. Based in one of NYC’s most exciting neighborhoods, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, CoLAB offers a platform for exploring contemporary approaches to the documentary arts and a process for developing an innovative collaborative project. The program consists of weekly production meetings, seminars, screenings and other public programs, along with regular masterclasses and critiques with visiting artists. In a recent article in The New York Times, film scholar Scott MacDonald, remarked, “UnionDocs has a healthy sense that the older definitions of what constitutes ‘experimental’ cinema and what constitutes ‘documentary’ are up for grabs.” Similarly, the UnionDocs Collaborative Studio represents a new and alternative fellowship model, offering residency and visa support for six participants coming from abroad and an equal number of spots for local, non-resident participants. It is designed to be affordable and, although participants are asked to make CoLAB their primary creative focus, the schedule does accommodate full-time or freelance work. The Brooklyn Rail summed it up with the title of their feature article: “UnionDocs Brings Auteurs Together”. For some, participation in the program may lead to further study. For others, it may lead to independent projects or strengthened careers within the industry. For all, it is an unparalleled immersion in the expansive field of documentary art.

UnionDocs hopes to build from our experience running the Collaborative Studio (read more about the 10 month CoLAB here), but retool this well established program to fit current necessities. Our next opportunity in this ongoing experiment is shorter, concentrated, and offers participation remotely from February 1st through March 31st. It’s still engaged with theory, practice, and co-creation, but focused on the process as much as the products of this engagement. The facilitators of this endeavor will be Dani & Sheilah ReStack, and the collaborative’s work will take inspiration from their concept of “Feral Domesticity.”