In these forgotten spaces her imagination thrives

There is something intriguing about Julie Gautier-Downes’ curiosity of spaces and homes abandoned and decaying—as if the remnants will whisper its story to her, revealing the secret ingredient that brought it to life or made it a home.

Is there something you are currently working on, or are excited about starting?

Last weekend, I bought a 1983 truck camper. I am using the camper as a found, ready-made home in which to capture photographs and create installations that allude to real and imagined people that may or may not have inhabited the space at different times in the past.

Do you have a day job? What is it? What does it mean to you?

I am currently an AmeriCorps National volunteer completing a year of service at a Habitat for Humanity Affiliate in Spokane, Washington. AmeriCorps is the domestic version of the Peace Corps that allows people to complete a year of service in the Unites States. AmeriCorps National volunteers work at non-profits providing direct service to help meet critical community needs in education, public safety, health, housing, and the environment.

Having spent the last few years photographing homes in decay and studying the remnants of life left behind in them, this work feels like a step forward for me. I am still deeply interested in home and what makes a home, but I feel a shift happening in my art practice as a result of spending so much time thinking about how homes are built and what it takes to make homeownership work, financially, for a low income family. It is refreshing to be working with an organization that has a heart.

When you are in need of inspiration are there particular things you read, listen to or look at to fuel your work?

When I need inspiration I plan a trip. For me, the experience of driving and being in a different (more open) landscape is inspiring. Even if I simply go for a short drive out of the town limits, before I know it, I am slamming on my breaks to get a picture of an interesting house or object someone left out in their yard. Once I am somewhere new, I look for old houses to explore, because I choose to come uninvited, these houses have to be abandoned. I am interested in seeing how other people live and questions that arise. That is what works for me.

What simple pleasure brings you the most joy?

I am a total foodie, I love eating. When I am traveling somewhere I get most excited for what I am going to eat. I enjoy cooking as well, though I am not good with recipes, everything I cook is intuitive.

What does creating art provide for you?

Often people think of art as a hobby or something fun. Though I do enjoy making my art, it is not so much a choice as an internal drive, an ambition. When I am not making, I feel incomplete and often overwhelmed by my thoughts both creative and practical. I need the time that I spend working on art to reflect and plan the next step in the project. I use my editing time as a period of focus and clarification, of both my artwork and life. Without that time, I would feel scattered and ungrounded.

Julie Gautier-Downes is one of the talented artists you'll see at uBe Art and the juried exhibiton, From Where I Stand. November 6 thru December 6.