Cello Sontana in G Minor, Op. 65: III. Largo,2022

Interview by Yukta Taneja

Yukta Taneja: Why “Petite Suite”?

Alana Campbell: Before creating this series, I knew I had wanted to connect my imagery to music. During my research process, I stumbled across Debussy’s “Petite Suite” and I immediately thought of the title’s relationship to my miniature sets. The title then inspired me to name each image after a specific piece of music.

Yukta Taneja: Describe your creative process in one word.

Alana Campbell: Meticulous… if I could say two, I would say meticulously spontaneous.

Yukta Taneja: What fascinates you about the past?

Alana Campbell: I am fascinated by the diverse curation of time periods through different works of art. As I experience time through art, I find the hazy and infinite depictions of eras to be a puzzle. Due to my ballet background, I am used to wearing historical costumes and playfully becoming something of the past.

My relationship to the past is very much a form of play. Although my works can be quite somber, there is always a tone of theatricality.

Violin Sonata in E Minor, Op. 82-II. Romance. Andante, 2022

Yukta Taneja: Do you have an emotional response during your destructive process?

Alana Campbell: I had gone into this project holding each pre-imagined space to the highest level of preciousness. As the series progressed and my ideas took hold of my emotions, I realized the ability to let go of these fleeting spaces worked really well as a cathartic practice.

Each piece was meticulously planned and preorganized, but the process of constructing and deconstructing was quite the opposite. The romanticized images upon closure inspection reveal cuts, folds, tape, water damage, etc. Throughout the series, both the dreamed spaces and character begin to fall apart before the sets can be fully completed. The imagery became a dissection of my dreams in relation to my own acknowledgement of reality.

Yukta Taneja: What was the last book you read or film you saw that inspired you?

Alana Campbell: I am an avid movie rewatcher. In terms of inspiration for this series, I watched as many period films as possible. I wanted to research the ways in which cinema interpreted other time periods within their own time. I always fall back on Merchant Ivory productions, as they quite successfully capture an essence of “quietude” that I aspire to create within my own work. If you are looking for me, I am probably at home watching “Room with View.”

Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharrp Minor IV., Adagietto, 2022

Yukta Taneja: What are you currently working on?

Alana Campbell: At the moment, I am venturing into the world of painting as a way to express and practice a looser side of my artistic interests. I am also working on several miniature photographic sets and working to put together a short dance film which will be playing with the concept of a 1950’s dream sequence.

More of Alana’s work can be found on her website