Norah Hoover

 My work mixes costume design, performance and photography. I collect found materials to make costumes and installations to be worn and inhabited - tents and dresses - and photograph them in action. I explore the way girl, animal, ornament, and image interact. My thesis work was based on the idea of wearable explosions, and my current work is a series of ghost dresses; I am moving from recycled synthetics to found organic materials. Photography is the center of all the work I do. My motifs, colors, and process are all anchored in the history of vernacular photography, its idiosyncratic rendering of containment and desire. I make "instant" images around my textiles using expired film, disposable cameras and Polaroids. I also document artists, musicians, and performers, and take "half candid" portraits: people interacting with each other and camera. I plan to document many of the diverse and vibrant performances going on at Cellspace, as well as the day-to-day of the residency at Project 2048. www.norahhoover.com