#dark silence in suburbia
From photojournalism to illustration to scupture, Dark Silence in Suburbia covers many different types of contemporary art. Long featured in tumblr’s art spotlight, DSiS is a wonderful blog for people who love art and want to be inspired.
11 Questions recently caught up with Dark Silence in Suburbia to discuss blogging, art and exploration, as well as some new features on her blog.
11 Questions: When your blog began, you posted a lot of photographs, especially of famous people like David Bowie, Iggy Pop, David Lynch, etc. As time goes on, you seem to incorporate more illustrations, paintings, and other artworks into your blog. Was this a conscious change on your part?
Dark Silence in Suburbia: When I started the blog, I really wasn’t thinking about having an art blog. I was into posting random images I liked and still like. I don’t think it was a concious change. When searching for images, I became more aware of the multitude of art forms, making me want to explore and learn.
At first, I used to post by theme, for example, Nobel prizes, or masks from around the world. I felt compelled to explore a certain subject, medium, period or artist in a given day. I would post only an artist, or a certain medium, like collage, or black and white photography.
I always loved art in its many forms, from literature to painting, but I wasn’t very familiar with new art forms, like light sculpture or urban installations, and what one can do with digital art. The blog changed form as I see things in my daily life. It is possible to find beauty anywhere, anytime. Before I started the blog I wasn’t so aware of this reality.
2: How did you come up with the name, “Dark Silence in Suburbia”?
DSiS: I dreamt of it. I was thinking about a name that had something to do with me, or my personal life without being too revealing, so I went to bed still thinking about choosing a name. I remember that I had a hard time sleeping that night, also because some professional issues I was worried about. If memory serves me, I had the name fully formed in my head when I woke up.
3: It’s interesting that a name can come out of an inner conflict like that. What does “dark silence in suburbia” mean to you?
DSiS: It’s deeply connected to my life, both personal and professional. It’s an inner feeling of all the mute violence that surrounds us, what is hidden in the dark, all the lives, the promising lives that will never live up to their full potential. The abandoned ones behind close doors. The fear not spoken of.
“Barn Owl” by George Ayers, viadarksilenceinsuburbia.
4: How would you relate the name of your blog with the posts, which are about art and expression?
DSiS: The relation isn’t at all obvious, as I publish all kinds of art. So, if i post an illustration of Snow White, that’s not at all “dark.“ But it is, if you remember her story, she was also living a dark life, with a happy ending. So, this blog is a way of using art and expression to purge something.
I really think that in some cases art is crucial to a comunity, as an antidote against violence, and an escape from a short, empty life. In some other cases, there’s no escape, no hope.
5: Speaking of that, what do you hope people find in your blog?
DSiS: Diversity for sure. I can’t and I won’t expect everyone to like my choices, but I blog with great pleasure and respect for art, artists and all great bloggers out there. So, I hope visitors find something that sparks inside and wake up feelings and ideas.
6: You’ve mentioned that running this blog has opened your eyes to new forms of art. What else has making this blog done for you?
DSiS: Through this blog i met some wonderful people that put me in contact with other realities and ways of living. For a long time I didn’t have my “ask” button on. I wasn’t here to make friends and chat, just to relax and have fun. I’m very glad that one day someone made change my mind about it.
7: Do you remember what the change was like––from having your ask box off to turning it on?
DSiS: Yes, I do. At the time i was very surprised to have so many bloggers sending messages. Because i thought to myself, what possibly can someone want to ask me? Well, all kinds of questions, congratulations, critiques and even insults. I never had anonymous ask box on.
8: How did you start your ”Tumblr Artists“ page? I was just browsing it and it’s very comprehensive.
DSiS: My “Tumblr Artists” page is very incomplete to be honest. I just started it recently. There are so many good artist blogs on tumblr. Every day new artists join Tumblr and it’s difficult to keep the pace. I’m trying to add artists every week.
9: How do you discover new artists and new artworks?
DSiS: Sometimes I stumble upon a great artwork, follow the link and it’s a new talent trying to get some exposure. On the other hand, many artists send messages asking me to take a look look at their works.
10: When you’re looking for artwork to post, how do you decide what pieces will be a good fit for your blog?
DSiS: I do a lot of research looking for art in my spare time. I decide what to post based on what I feel emotionaly about a given piece, I don’t really care if it fits well on the blog. Meaning, harmony is not too important to me.
11: Has your blog inspired you to make art yourself?
DSiS: I don’t have any artistic talent whatsoever…I write, for myself, but I don’t consider it art. I have two artists in the family, both very talented. One makes ceramics as an hobby, and the other one is a professional fashion make-up artist with a degree in illustration.
More to come at http://11questions.tumblr.com/.
