Collage self-portrait by Miwa Matreyek

Miwa Matreyek is an award-winning animator, designer and multimedia artist who creates animated short films and performance-based installations that manipulate time vs. real time and composed spaces vs. real spaces. Based in L.A., Matreyek is the founding member of Cloud Eye Control, a performance media group that tells stories of human adaptation to a technological society using animation, live camera imagery and theatrical expression. To view her portfolio, visit www.semihemisphere.com.

Who or what inspires you?
A lot of things from daily life, things that I wish I could see or make happen. Things that I have a feeling for in my head that I want to whittle into an (often digital) shape.

What do you enjoy most about your performances?
I enjoy the presence of two narratives. One is the narrative of the animation and performance, and the illusion/story created by the combination of the two. The other is the narrative of what is in front of the audience. There isn’t too much hidden on stage - projectors, screen, props, and performer; illusions are being crated by these objects on stage. I try to mix in some slight of hand between video and real objects, and the audience are often very curious about what is real and what isn’t. I am interested in creating a duality of suspension of belief and suspension of disbelief.

An excerpt from Dreaming of Lucid Living, Matreyek’s thesis project for CalArts’ Experimental Animation program. Matreyek will perform at the opening of Flux Super 8 exhibition.

What’s the hardest part of the process of your art?
Taking all these chunks of ideas and creating some sort of narrative, or at least a sense of order and shape.

What music excites you now?
I’ve recently been obsessed with the iTunes Visualizer, there’s some beautiful moments of particles and colors that happen. I’ve been re-exploring my iTunes library for music that matches the Visualizer, trying to find the songs that match so well the Visualizer feels like a music video. I probably spend too much time doing this.

Matreyek’s installation Myth and Infrastructure, to be featured at the Flux Super 8 exhibition

How have your travels influenced you as an artist?
Most of my work somehow involves a city. I haven’t traveled a whole lot, but I am very curious about places - how they look, smell, sound, feel… the logic and reasons upon which they function. Cities are such strange things, these hives of complex structures piled on top of each other that humans call home, office, school, Wal-Mart…

Cloud Eye Control’s Final Space (2007) explores the impact of a dream-sucking machine gone haywire

If you weren’t doing what you do now, what profession would you pursue?
Science. Although whatever I do will lead towards a creative/visual direction. For example, Scanning Electron Microscopy images are so fascinating, to look into these microscopic/invisible worlds of insects, pollen, bacterias…

What (new projects) are you working on now?
I’m part of a collaborative performance group called Cloud Eye Control with two other CalArts grads. We have a show coming up at the RedCat in the fall, October 14-17. The piece is called Under Polaris, and is about the North Pole. We are really trying to push ourselves with making a piece that is bigger and fuller than our older work… we will have a live orchestra!

Dream project?
Working with a scientist to see into very small and very large worlds… Making something educational.

See Miwa Matreyek’s installation and opening night performance at the Flux Super 8 exhibition, August 15 - September 5, 2009 at Scion Installation L.A. Space; 3521 Helms Ave. (at National); Culver City, CA; +1-310-815-8840