A huge honour for Jasmin Tarasin. The Photoplay director and artist was chosen to create the large-scale video art installation commissioned for Zampatti Powerhouse, the first retrospective exhibition of influential Australian fashion designer and arts icon, Carla Zampatti, at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum.
The work is an intimate conversation film between some of Australia’s most notable voices, such as Ita Buttrose AC OBE, Gladys Berejiklian and Rafael Bonachela, that reveals all the complex layers of Zampatti’s life and influence.
Tarasin stated, “The pleasure was all mine when asked to create the work. I was inspired by, and in awe of, the impact Carla had on Australian life. She assisted and mentored young women in business, in particular those from multicultural backgrounds. She was involved in all areas of the arts being on the boards of Sydney Dance Company, SBS , MCA and Brandenburg Orchestra, and she creatively impacted these organisations with funding ideas and incentives. She put herself in the thick of Australian politics and was involved in the background of many political campaigns. She raised three children and for a large part was a single mum with no family support. Starting with nothing arriving in Australia, arriving post-World War 2 from Italy, she had a vision and created everything from scratch. A wonderful for advocate for women, multicultural Australian and the cost of family-work juggle.
The work’s feeling of intimacy, its conversations genuine, is a credit to Tarasin. It involves the viewer deeply so that they share the honour with Tarasin of experiencing Carla, the real Carla Zampatti.
Tarasin took The Stable behind the scenes, explaining how she created something so striking.
The Stable. It was a lovely idea to have the duo conversations. What was your vision for the installation? What did you want it to do? How much freedom did you have?
Jasmin Tarasin: I originally wanted the installation to be a 360° view from the middle of a dinner party at Carla’s house. Carla hosted many dinner parties at her house. She would use these parties as an integral way to get the right conversation started with people she wanted to know each other. The ultimate networker. But we had too many people involved in the work, so we shot everyone in a studio and in the installation we have up to four people interacting at once and others coming and going so it feels like a rotating dinner party and conversation.
TS: The cast consisted of a honorary list of celebrities from all industries in Australia. What were the challenges?
JT: Carla certainly new how to surround herself with the most talented and most influential people across all industries in Australia. Carla was involved in the fashion industry first and foremost but was highly involved and influential in the arts, politics and multicultural Australia. I made sure I dressed appropriately on set and it was wonderful to meet and discuss Carla and her life with such a wonderful group of friends and colleagues. It was magnificent to be part of the conversation.
TS: Who or what helped you make the installation is distinctive as it is?
JT: I worked with the creative team at Powerhouse Museum, in particular Roger Leong and Tony Assness, who already had an end game for the video itself, so it was my interpretation and of their vision that resulted in the current installation.
I took the look and feel from Carla herself. In her home, she loved Carravagaio style paintings and photographs and her house was full of beautiful art work. I created the backdrop and lighting set up that allowed for this style of look and feel for each person’s portrait and conversation.
TS: This is very different from a short film or a commercial. What did it ask of you that you don’t usually have to use? Was there anything you learned from directing the project?
JT: I have worked with large scale installation work throughout my career and with my own work which included a major exhibition as part of Sydney Festival entitled Live. I have also been commissioned to do works of this scale commercially within my practice. I love breaking the mould of traditional filmmaking and working in different areas.
