Your name
Rachel Sussman
Your Age
30 (the new 20)
Website
Rachel Sussman
Where are you from
Baltimore, MD
Where do you live now?
On the Williamsburg/Greenpoint border in Brooklyn
What's your day job?
I manage internet and software projects at a media design company, Funny Garbage
Artist's Statement
My work is an interpretation of the slow push and pull between man and nature happening quietly around us all the time. Its issues are like that of any other relationship really: navigating the other, testing and crossing boundaries, finding a reasonable balance or eventually giving up. I'm drawn to manmade patterns that use nature as a medium or inspiration,and conversely to natural patterns returning manmade materials to a more natural state. I employ formal devices such as restricted color palates, flattening/filling the picture plane, and considered use of line and shape to further the dialog between aesthetics, content, and form. What results in the work is my own unique system, culled from as much of the world as I can manage to get to. An additional, less legible layer of subtext is an illustration of my thoughts about the nature of photography: capturing the contradiction of presenting the inevitable (arti)facts of a mechanical medium that by nature can only ever be part of the picture. I have found Mike Davis' quote‚ "But that isn't real the way the real things are real" a touchstone for my work, with the notion of the unveiling of extant Truth as a counterpoint.
Which artists inspire you? (Not necessarily photographers.)
Hiroshi Sugimoto, Thomas Struth, and Joseph Bueys are at the top of my list.
Describe that moment when you knew for sure that photography was something you wanted to pursue seriously.
Photography had always been something that was a fun, creative outlet for me, but there was a moment when I realized that I could be as serious about photography as I was about any academic pursuit.  So, I sent off my applications to art school and lived happily ever after...
What kind of camera do you use?
A Mamiya 7.  Great big negatives and easy to handle -- just want I want in a camera.
What's your favorite beverage?
Daytime: Coffee
After 5: White wine (currently in a Bordeaux phase) and Scotch...but not at the same time.
What's your favorite movie?
Classic: Gone With the Wind
Contemporary: Rushmore
What's your Favorite Museum?
The Tate Modern
Where do you want to go on your dream vacation?
Relaxing:  In a cottage on the coast of Maine, hiking all day and eating lobster and blueberry pie at night (I've done that before, but I'd be more than willing to do it again.)
Exciting:   I'd like to go just about everywhere at least once...as long as I have a decent language dictionary and plenty of film.
What's the last CD you listened to?
Beck - Guero
What's your favorite season?
Yes
Favorite color?
Most shades of green, followed by orange.
What are you reading now?
Why are Artists Poor? The Exceptional Economy of the Arts by Hans Abbing
What are your favorite foods?
Tomatoes, Seafood, Tofu, Brussel Sprouts, Balsamic Vinegar, and of course Dark Chocolate.
Do you have an interesting/obscure hobby? If so, tell us about it.
When I'm not busy making art or web sites, I like to unwind by hanging upside down on the trapeze. I've performed at places like Galapagos and the Belt Theater, both single and partner static trapeze. I've also done some flying over at the trapeze school on the West Side highway. I used to be a gymnast so getting into the aerial arts wasn't too much of a stretch for me.