'A couple of decades, several lost organs and a few Polaroid cameras later, I became the darker side of life. I became the hospital bed that patients have surgery on. I became the shadow in the peep show booth. I became the knife in the killer's hand. I became the seedy underbelly of all things wrong with this world. I became the light polarizing material that documents everything that is scary, hateful, sexual, misogynistic, heartbreaking and beautiful all with an eerie twist' I loved this intro when I read it! It was one of the first things about Danielle that I read before I looked at any of her work. She has on her website, a gallery of her photography that does just that. Takes you to the hospital beds, peep show booths and that seedy underbelly indeed. I was completely intrigued after this description and whole-heartedly satisfied that she had done just those things she had spoken of in her intro. After looking at her work, and seeing candid shots of her at her shows in her red and white checked retro dress and bobbed blonde hair, I wondered what such a sweet looking girl was doing in the underbelly of all things wrong with this world.
So how does one become the hospital bed and the underbelly that you speak of?
Considering my extensive past, the fact that I grew up very young, and my eclectic group of friends, I became overly sensitive to all the "bad" things in life. I found that socially unacceptable things weren't so bad, and people that were in the "social norm" had more skeletons in the closet than most people. I live by Cheeseman Park, ok? All the straight white married men drive by my house to pick up 15-year old hustlers. I just enjoy seeing ironic things like that happen. The 'holier than thou' people always have quite a bit to hide. At least all of my drag queen, drag king, transsexual, homosexual, and counter-culture friends are open about themselves. I love to photograph both sides of the spectrum.
When did you start using Polaroids in your work? What kind of cameras did/do you use? And why do you like the Polaroid so much?
I think I bought my first Polaroid in high school. It was a pink and green Barbie Polaroid... I soon realized how much I loved the instant gratification. When I started art school, and learned how to use a 4X5 camera, I instantly fell in love with it, and bought one with an attachable Polaroid back. Polaroids are little un-retouched pieces of history...they never lie. Plus I can't be lazy with the lighting or details during the photo shoot. I really love making myself work hard while shooting instead of saying, "don't worry about that... I'll Photoshop it later." I also have a Polaroid SX-70, a Polaroid land camera I can't find film for, and a ton of vintage Brownies and Polaroids. I do find myself using a digital Nikon Coolpix 8700 quite a bit though.
On your website you have a pin up girl series. You tell how the Incredible Peeping Machine works. Did you use these machines in a show and did someone build them for you?
This was an idea I had for quite a while, but never thought I could go through with. I'm not much of a handy-woman, so building these boxes seemed too troublesome. But I was offered a show, and decided it was my chance to come out with a full series of pin-ups. The boxes came next... I loved the idea of crouching down and peeping into a keyhole; it seemed a bit dirty, but all in good fun. So my boyfriend (who is also my favorite artist to work with), Fish, showed me how to build them. I learned how to use power tools and really get my hands dirty.
Did a box accompany every 'Pin Up Girl' shot?
I shot about 16 photos for this Peep Show series, each having their own distinctive box. My models were so great, and really patient. 4X5 cameras can take a long time to set up, so I try to make each one of their photos special. It was great to see the models come to the show and get excited to see their individual boxes.
When was this show?
The 'Peep Show' first debuted in June 2004, and reran at another gallery in August with some new 70's style photos.
How did it go? There are some hot shots, awesome lingerie and amazing tattoos in these!
Most of the girls are my friends. Each has their own personality traits that I find so endearing; I am just lucky that all of them are so hot! Torre is probably my most photographed girl... I consider her my muse. She always shows up to the photo shoots with flawless hair and clothing, plus she is a big fan of pin-ups, so I don't have to show her how to pose. Lisa Love and Athena are also favorites of mine; both have these amazingly photogenic faces. And I did end up selling every last box! They were a big hit; I really think people enjoy "hands-on" art.
On to your series, 'Drag Kings'. LOVED this too. I love that the bandages used to bound the breasts are shown here and that the subjects are not dressed in men's suits, hiding anything. Tell me about this shoot.
I LOVE drag kings. I swear... if I didn't have such a feminine face, I would be a drag king. This series was actually called, "Wouldn't life be easier... (if I were a man.)" This is an observational series on the patriarchy women put up with on a daily basis. I mean... just going to the grocery store can be a hassle. Plus economic inequality, sexual abuse (1 in 4 women have been sexually abused), the media, constant harassment, etc. can make it pretty hard to just be a woman. There is quite a backlash against women who love to dress provocatively and still consider themselves feminists. It's like you have to hide your breasts to get any respect.
Then we come to 'Stitches and Staples' - This was the most poignant of the gallery shots on your site and in your work that I've seen. Again back to your intro, 'several lost organs and a few Polaroid cameras later' - tell me about this series.
I have heard that these are my most emotive and important pieces. I think
bringing my camera into the hospital rooms with me was kind of therapeutic.
I grew up with pretty serious physical problems, had a couple hack surgeons,
and ended up spending my entire life in and out of hospitals. Lately I have
been having quite a bit of ovarian problems, so I have been focusing my work
on all things vagina. As a matter of fact, I have been collecting "all
things vagina," from antique speculums to vintage stirrups. To have
something that is supposed to be "sexual," more of a medical experiment
really shows in my art. I actually filmed my last exam with an 8mm.
Tell me about '14 surgeries in 15 days'? The eyes in that shot are killer! Is this you?
All of the hospital photographs are of me. This one was from '99. I bought myself a Canon PowerShot online and started documenting my hospital stays.
I was quite sick at this point, and had a fever of about 103 on and off for a couple months. I was delusional, and weighed about 93 lbs. I was cut open, and they kept taking me into the surgery room every morning for 2 weeks and putting me to sleep. I honestly don't remember much, or why so many surgeries... it's a fuzzy part of my memory.
Tell me about 'Stitches United'? (our cover shot) This is actually called, "Organs United," it is just titled wrong on my site. I started feeling a bit bad about losing so much of my insides... I always wondered where they were taken to... an incinerator I guess. They even took out bits of my spine cause I had a bone infection. So, the people behind me in this photo represent all of my missing pieces of organs, with me alone in the foreground. At that point in time, I felt very alone. I didn't feel whole, because so much of me was taken away. Such a great picture...very sad. 'The Cherry Pit' (a bar in Denver) bought it; I think it has it's own special mini room.
God, I'm going through each photo! Tell me about 'Stapled Together 23 Years Ago'
This is just one of my scars. I am quite embarrassed of them... nobody gets to see them. But I thought it would be interesting to have a faceless photo of it... and those creepy panties are the ones they make you wear in the hospital. I was at the Vanderbilt Clinic in Nashville, TN.
Is that you in 'My Father Says it Builds Character'?
Yes, also me. I had no veins left in my arms, so I needed a new I.V. every day. My veins would break down and my arms were covered with giant bruises and scars. I think they were going to start putting I.V.s in my feet. But I love my dad's reactions. He would kinda look at me like, "Just deal with it. Get it over with." But I know he really felt bad, watching his daughter in so much pain. Wyoming guys don't show emotions...
How did this 'Stiches and Staples' show go? What kind of reactions did you get from the shows attendees?
I got an overwhelming reaction to my hospital pieces. I knew nobody would buy any... who wants a picture of me getting a pelvic exam on their wall? But a few people were stupid enough to ask me, "what's wrong with you?" Who asks a question like that? Nothing is fucking wrong with me... I just got dealt a bad hand.
But my boyfriend even gets a bit emotional about them; they are very personal and graphic, and if you know me, it's even harder to look at them. If I ever even talk about my health issues, it usually turns into a joke, so people never see this side of me.
In the series titled 'Portraits and Other Works' there are many haunting and telling photos here as well as some pretty hot shots sister! Tell me about the one titled 'Dave'.
I swear... us sick kids stick together. Dave is an old friend of mine, and at one point was very sick with cancer. This portrait is so sterile and depressing... exactly what he was dealing with at that time.
Elina is also very haunting. I don't know why. The setting, her eyes. Tell me about this one.
Elina is another part of my "sick crew!" She is just amazing, and has such an amazing persona. She has quite an extensive past, and you can defiantly see it in her eyes. I love old souls... they have experienced everything. You never want to fuck with the girls who have been through it all.
Tell me about Athena.
God...Athena...She is so gorgeous, and willing to do any photoshoot! After I had a vision for "last night's dream" (I think it's called 'self-portrait with Athena' online), I instantly called Athena. She shaved her head, and had that androgynous look going on. So fucking hot.
Latisha and Stacy as well as Cha Cha, are photos of people are really gettin' it on - how do you become someone who can stand within this setting and take photos? It totally looks like you 'caught' Cha Cha! It's like we aren't supposed to be there yet here we are and we can't look away.
ChaCha gets the job done for me. Whenever I need him to pose for something, he is so on it. I think we decided to go out that night and shoot creepy stuff...we ended up in a seriously creepy situation. I don't even mind standing and taking pictures of people getting crazy. If I can shoot a guy putting a speculum inside of me, I can easily shoot ChaCha making out with some guy.
Tell me about the 'Wood Panel Work' show you did. I'm a sucker for wood paneling and have a love hate relationship with it, it's so 70's and beautiful ugly.
Wood paneling is reminiscent of 70's porn shoots, which is what I was going for. I think I told Athena to 'look like you just did a bunch of coke, and some creepy guy is photographing you.' All those 70's girls had that "I don't really want to be here" look on their faces in the 70's.
Tell me about your new show, when it is, where, it's theme and that full standing confessional you said you are building.
Fish and I are building an 8ft tall confessional that you can actually walk inside and kneel down, open the screen, and see my photographs. This show, called "Catechisms," is about religion, and being a feminist, it is hard for me to agree with. I am pinpointing the hypocritical parts of religion, while Fish is more into the beautiful iconography. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore Caravaggio and icon paintings and the creepiness of it all, but I don't agree with how people handle Christianity. An important piece of my show is an instillation of "St. Agatha," who had her breasts cut off. What I don't understand is how women are expected to be submissive and obedient and yet protect their virtue to the point of death. I can even tie this into the virgin/whore complex. Women are expected to stay virgins for their husbands, but men have no problem sleeping with a promiscuous girl, (they just won't marry them.)
The show is at Revoluciones Collective Art Space, located at 3519 Brighton Blvd. also features Patrick "Fish" King's paintings and work. It opens on December 3rd and runs through the 31st.
I am so lucky that Danielle lives in my lil ol' hometown of Denver, cuz I get to go to her show this Friday and meet her, see the confessional, see Patrick's work and I'm so excited!
Thank you so much Danielle for taking us into your work and in and out of the 'behind the scenes' look of the underbelly of this world. You have brought your work forth to us so amazingly and so fully and I thank you!
