Janie Geiser
| Janie Geiser | |
|---|---|
| Born | {Born 1957 } Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Georgia |
| Known for | Visual/Theater Artist, Experimental Filmmaker, Performance Art |
| Notable work | The Fourth Watch, Terrace 49, The Red Book, The Secret Story, Colors, Immer Zu, Lost Motion, ‘’Clouded Sulphur’’ |
| Movement | American Avant-Garde |
| Awards | 1989 Obie Award for Special Citation |
Janie Geiser (b. 1957 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is an American artist and experimental filmmaker. She is part of the American Avant-Garde movement. Her notable works include The Fourth Watch, Terrace 49, The Red Book, The Secret Story, Colors, Immer Zu, Lost Motion, and Clouded Sulphur.
Janie Geiser was born in 1957 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Geiser is married to Lewis Klahr. She is the second oldest child among six total children. Janie Geiser attended the University of Georgia and graduated with a degree in visual art. While she is known as one of the pioneers of the renaissance of American avant-garde puppetry and object performance, she did not have any defining early experiences with puppetry. Upon completion her BFA degree, Geiser began creating work as a visual artist, exhibiting her drawings and paintings in Atlanta art galleries. By taking a job as the curator of a non-profit, multi-arts organization called Nexus, Geiser began to meet and collaborate with artists from many different fields, including music, dance, theater, and printmaking.
After her time at Nexus, Geiser took a part-time job in the 1980s as the curator of the Center for Puppetry Art's puppet exhibits. It was at the Center for Puppetry Arts that she began to investigate both contemporary and historical puppetry, and she encountered a number of contemporary puppetry performers there, including Bruce Schwartz and Paul Zaloom. She created her first puppetry performance, Little Eddie, in the Center's basement, and developed several works there under the name Jottay Theater, with puppeteers and musicians from Atlanta.
In 1986, Geiser moved to New York City where she founded "Janie Geiser and Co.", a collection of New York actors and puppeteers. She created a number of key works there, including Stories from Here (1986), developed with the Jottay Theater, including writer Neill Bogan and composer Chip Epsten. They were awarded an Obie for their production of Stories from Here at Dance Theater Workshop. Other shows included When the Wind Blows (1992), Evidence of Floods (1994-1996), Night Behind the Windows (1998) and more. She collaborated as a designer with other theater artists, including The Talking Band (1988,The Three Lives of Lucie Cabrol), Dick Connette (1989, Half a World Away), and Mac Wellman and Travis Preston (Infrared, 1990)
Starting in 1992, Geiser began making short experimental films, a practice that continues through this day. Her performances often combine film and live performance. Her films have been screened at major museums including MOMA, the Whitney Museum, LACMA, SFMOMA, and others. Her films have screened at festivals including The New York Film Festival, London International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and others.
Around 2008 during the creation of her film, Ghost Algebra, Geiser experienced a strange health problem. She has a feeling of “electricity in her nerves”. Geiser visited all kinds of doctors, had an MRI, went to a neurologist, and what seemed to help the most was a combination of acupuncture and herbs. The cause of her health issue was never determined and symptoms still surfaces occasionally. This health issue served as an inspiration for her film, Ghost Algebra.
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