Interview of Helene Delazer
During the 2002 European Bodypainting Festival of Seeboden, I noticed the work of Helene and I was seduced by its beauty. When I learnt that this was one of her first bodypaintings, I found this extraordinary and I wanted to know more about her work. I hope you are as curious as I am and you will read her interview til the end.
Question 1: A few words about the country, town or village where you live; do you have children?; what kind of studies or profession have you done? What do you like most in life...
Answer:
<ITALIAN> Abito a Brunico, una piccola città tirolese nascosta
tra le montagne "nordiche" della bella Italia. Ho studiato parecchio:
filosofia all'università (sto per laurearmi, spero!) ed oreficeria; e
poi la vita familiare, la vita semifamiliare, il mondo dei bambini, i casini
che ci circondano, i nodi, i sogni, i segreti ... l'impressione, l'espressione,
forme, colori ... Nella vita mi piace sentirmi forte, viva, piena di energia,
mi piace creare, cercare ... e poi sentire magari quel pizzico di soddisfazione
che mi rende felice; e poterlo trasmettere e condividere.
<ENGLISH> I am living in Brunico, a small tirolean town , hidden in between the North Italian Alps. I have studied a lot: Philosophy at the university (I should finish very soon), and jewellery, the family-life, the semifamily-life, the childrens-world, the complications surrounding us, the knots, the dreams, the secrets.....the impressions, the expressions, the forms, the colors.... In life I like to feel myself alive, beeing strong and full of energy, producing and seeking.......and then maybe I can feel that little moment of satisfaction that makes me happy ...and then have the opportunity to transmit and share it.
<GERMAN> Ich lebe in Bruneck, einem kleinen norditalienischen Städtchen, versteckt in den Südtiroler Bergen. Studiert und erlernt hab ich so einiges; z.B. Philosophie an der Universität (ich hoffe der Abschluss erfolgt bald), auch die Kunst des Goldschmiedens; dann das Familienleben allein- zu zweit- zu dritt, die Welt der Kinder, die Komplikationen in und um uns, all die Knoten, die Träume, die Geheimnisse....die vielen Eindrücke, die Ausdrucksarten, die Formen, Farben..... Was ich am Leben am meisten schätze, ist vielleicht jenes Gefühl wenn ich mich lebendig fühle, stark und voller Energie, wenn ich etwas schaffe, auf der Suche< bin...und dann vielleicht auch jener kurze Moment der Zufriedenheit der mich einfach rundum glücklich macht ...und dann das Glück all dies jemandem vermitteln zu können, es teilen zu dürfen.
(Work by Helene Delazer "Gegruevèa" the long green/ yellow woman - Photograph (C) by Robert )
Question 2: how have you discovered bodypainting? Describe the circumstances. How did you start doing bodypainting yourself? Have you done a lot or a few? Have you participed in events, competition? Which ones?
Answer:
<ITALIAN> Il campo del bodypainting è nuovo per me. Faccio gioielli da più di dieci anni oramai, dipingo da ... ecco da bambina, sì, va beh, ma il bodypainting è proprio un esperienza nuova per me. Un certo signor Tinkhauser un bel giorno di un mezz'anno fa mi ha chiesto se non avessi voglia di dipingere una modella ed io spontaneamente ho detto di sì. Il tema era "terra"; il signor Tinkhauser conosceva sicuramente le mie opere di pittura murale (assolutamente non appariscenti), ma chissà cosa ha pensato quando mi ha visto "ingessare" la modella! "Gea" era la mia prima opera; poi ho partecipato al concorso europeo in Austria e in seguito ho creato delle "donne provenienti dallo spazio" al festival del teatro di strada a Brunico. Adesso vedremo dove mi porta il vento.
<ENGLISH> Bodypainting is absolutely new for me. I have a lot of experience
in making jewellery and I paint since I was a little child, well o.k. but....
bodypainting I am doing since a few months only. A certain Mr. Tinkhauser one
beautiful morning half a year ago asked me if I would like to paint a model,
this man knew my wall-paintings and they are not inconspicuous at all, but when
he saw me plaster the model....I do not know what he was thinking. "gea"
was my first work, then I was in Austria at the European bodypainting Festival
and after that, Ihave participated in the street-theatre-festival in Brunico,
creating "womans from the space"......now I will see where the wind
will bring me.
<GERMAN> Bodypainting ist neu für mich. Ich mache Schmuck seit nunmehr über zehn Jahren , ich male seit meiner Kindheit , nun gut, aber dennoch..... Bodypainting ist total neu für mich. Eines schönen Tages vor einem halben Jahr hat mich ein gewisser Herr Tinkhauser gefragt, ob ich nicht Lust hätte ein Model zum Thema "Erde" zu bemalen. Und ich hab einfach zugesagt. Herr Tinkhauser kannte meine Wandmalereien, das schon und diese sind alles andere als unauffällig, aber ich weiß nicht was er sich gedacht hat als er sah, dass ich mein Model zunächst einmal eingegipst habe. "gea" ist also mein erstes Werk, dann nahm ich am Europäischen Bodypainting-Wettbewerb in Österreich teil und dann ließ ich "Space-Damen" beim Brunecker Straßentheaterfestival landen .....ja und jetzt werde ich sehen wie es weiter geht.
(Work by Helene Delazer : "Witch on the pile" - Photograph (C) by Robert )
Question 3: What do you like most in bodypainting? What do you find most difficult? What products do you use (paints and accessories for special effects)? What is your inspiration? How do you find ideas for new bodypaintings?
Answer:
<ITALIAN>Mi piace elaborare un tema, qualsiasi esso sia. Devo sapere chi dipingo, poi cerco di realizzare qualcosa di speciale che sottolinea esattamente quel corpo. Mi piace lavorare al limite delle mie possibilità. Faccio subito degli schizzi, l'immagine del tema elaborato nella mia fantasia mi è subito chiarissima, ma non sono calma e soddisfatta fino a quando non l'ho realizzata. Inizio con la costruzione delle parti extra come "allungamenti" per piedi, mani, testa, ecc. Non parto da modelli "prefabbricati" e cerco di non copiare. Più difficile è trovare la tecnica adatta per collegare le parti con il corpo umano. Con i colori poi gioco, cercando di rendere viva l'immagine che ho creato; non uso colori già pronti, li preparo nel momento in cui mi servono.
<ENGLISH> I really like do bodypainting when there is a theme, whatever
it is. It is important for me to know which body I am going to paint, so I try
to find a way to underline exactly its forms. I like to work at the limit of
what I can achieve. First Imake some sketches, I do have a really clear idea
in my mind , but I do not feel quiet and satisfied until I have done the work.
I start with the extra-parts like the lenghtenings for legs, hands and head
... I do not use finished articles and I try to not copy. The most difficult
for me seems to be to find the perfect technique to put together the parts with
the human body. With the colors I am playing, using them to realize my idea,
I do prepare them by myself at the moment that I need them.
<GERMAN> Am liebsten bemale ich Körper , wenn es ein Thema gibt, was auch immer dieses sein mag. Für mich ist es wichtig, dass ich weiß welchen Körper ich bemale, ich versuche dann nämlich seine Besonderheiten zu unterstreichen. Manchmal arbeite ich schon an der Grenze des für mich Machbaren. Zuallererst fertige ich Skizzen an, in meinem Kopf gibt es eine ganz klare Vorstellung von dem, was ich umsetzen will und bis zu jenem Moment, wo ich es dann umgesetzt habe, bin ich nicht ruhig und zufrieden. Ich starte mit den Extra-Teilen, z.B. Fuß-, Arm- und Kopfverlängerungen.... Ich verwende keine Fertigteile und versuche nicht zu kopieren. Als das Schwierigste würde ich es bezeichnen, die richtige Technik zu finden Bestandteile und Körper perfekt zu vebinden. Dann kommen die Farben ins Spiel und es ist wahrhaft ein Spiel, ich versuche einfach meine Vorstellung umzusetzen. Ich verwende keine vorgefertigten Farben, ich mische sie mir selber, genau wann und so wie ich sie brauche.
(Helene Delazer - Photograph (C) by Theo Stammer, Bonn, Germany)
Question 4: Do you have always the same model or so you have several models? How did you meet them? Describe your relationship with the model during the work. Have you painted people from your family? Do you work home, in a studio? Do you work sometimes outside, in the open? Have you been painted yourself? What was the feeling? Did you enjoy the experience?
Answer:
<ITALIAN> Lavoro soprattutto con mia sorella: é giovane, ha un bellissimo corpo, riesce a capire ed a immedesimarsi nelle mie idee ... e ha il coraggio ed il talento di rappresentare il ruolo che le è stato "dipinto sul corpo", oltre ad essere è molto fotogenica. Certamente lavoro e lavorerò anche con altri. Ho dipinto anche me stessa, é stata un'esperienza bellissima ed anche importante per capire il "punto di vista" del modello. Inoltre mi piace dipingere a contatto con la natura, cercando di includerla nell'opera.
<ENGLISH> For the moment I prefer to paint my sister. She is young, beautiful
and able to understand and get into the spirit of my ideas...and she has the
courage and the talent to take the rule of this person by which she is being
painted and the cameras loves her. Of course I work and will work with other
ones too. I did also paint myself, it was a fantastic and a very necessary experience
to understand the models. I prefer to paint in the nature, trying to involve
the surroundings in the work.
<GERMAN> Derzeit bemale ich vorwiegend meine Schwester, sie ist jung,
hat einen perfekten Körper und sie ist in der Lage sich in meine Ideen
hineinzufühlen..... sie hat den Mut und das Talent jene Rolle, welche ich
ihr sozusagen "aufmale" zu übernehmen und für eine Weile
zu spielen. Natürlich bemale ich auch andere. Ich hab mich auch selbst
bemalt, es war eine großartige Erfahrung, sie war auch notwendig um meine
Modelle zu verstehen. Am liebsten male ich in der freien Natur, ich versuche
sie dabei miteinzubeziehen.
(Work by Helene Delazer : "Gea" - Photograph (C) by Martin Tinkhauser, Brunico, Italy)
Question 5: Anything to say about you plans, wishes? Something you would like to do and you have not done yet? Anything that you would like to ask to people who will read this interview?
Answer:
<ITALIAN> Mi piacerebbe proprio poter dare un occhiata alle maschere di scena di un grande teatro oppure di uno studio cinematografico; chissà ... magari a Parigi, Berlino, Hollywood.... ma poi mi piace anche essere dove sono, avere il mio sole, i miei colori, la gente che amo ...
<ENGLISH> I would really like to have an experience into a mask-studio in a big theatre or in a film production, maybe in Paris, Berlin, Hollywood... but on the other hand I do like to be where I am, have my sun, my colors and the people that Ilove around me....
<GERMAN>