On Wednesdays, we look at artist/designer statements or About pages and discuss the vocabulary they use to describe their work. Today we’ll look at the About page of Julie Gautier, a deep sea diver and underwater filmmaker. Below is one of her short films called Ama.
Here is the text from her About page, in italics.
Based in Nice (France) since the age 26, she started creating artistic underwater videos that bring a new look on the marine world with her partner, Guillaume Néry (the freediving world champion). Their strength comes from using freediving to work on each side of the camera. Being completely self taught, she draws inspiration from dance, comics and cinema.
Today, they are working with Guillaume under their own label « Les Films Engloutis ».
Julie is an underwater artist. She uses her skills and creativity to capture the magic of the world below the surface. Author, film director, director of photography and even underwater model, she collaborates with Guillaume under their own label « Les Films Engloutis » . On top of her personal projects, she is working in different fields like cinema, commercials, music video or documentary.
Now my comments:
In the first paragraph, we learn a little about this artist’s background and her partner’s role in her work. We also learn about what makes their work unique, as well as her training and inspiration. Remember that we use the word based to describe where an artist works and lives. Freediving is a form of underwater diving where the diver holds his or her breath until resurfacing instead of using a breathing apparatus such as scuba gear.
In the second paragraph, we learn about Gautier’s goals as an artist, as well as all the different ways that she contributes to their work. We also learn about the types of projects they work on. We see the word surface, which means the upper layer of the water where it meets the air. We also see the phrase on top of, which means “in addition to.” In this situation, personal projects are the ones you do because you feel strongly about them, not because you are trying to make money from them. When used this way, fields means an area of work or study.
This About page has some good information, but I’d like to know more. I get the feeling that this artist wants to share her love of being underwater with us, and that is a large part of her inspiration. However, it would be interesting to know more specifically what her message and goals are for this work, especially since the piece featured in this post seems very personal and filled with emotional significance. I’d also love to learn more about the technique she uses to make these amazing films. When I first watched this video, I assumed it was filmed with multiple takes. I was shocked to learn this was not true – she can just hold her breath for a very long time thanks to freediving. I imagine there might be some really interesting challenges to working underwater that she could share as well.
Including these types of details in an About page might seem unnecessary, but they can make the work even more engaging and accessible for the reader. A good language coach can help you to find the balance between writing too much and not enough.
At Artglish, we help artists and designers to write a statement or About page that best describes their work. We focus on choosing the best vocabulary and language to help you share your work with others. If you want to learn more, click here to join The Studio and try some free ways to improve your English, or check out our Lessons page to learn how Artglish can help you succeed.
I’ve chosen 5 words or phrases for you to focus on today. They are in bold. If you don’t know them, look up the meaning, synonyms, antonyms, and other forms of these words. You can find links to Merriam-Webster dictionary sites at the bottom of this page.
To see the artist’s website, click the link below:
https://juliegautier.com/#aboutjulie