Something not everybody knows about me: I have a drinking problem. I’ve been sober for over two years now. When Christy Anna Wu shared her concept of Like a Fish with me, I related to it a lot. I jumped on as the production designer/wardrobe/HMUA. Our crew of collaborators came to know the project as “Juxtaposition”. Our main character can’t eat, he can’t sleep, he can only drink – even if it kills him. The lighting theme is a sickly green. Now, Christy Anna and I call it Juxt-1; Juxt-2 is almost through post production, with Juxt-3 in the works.
This was the first set I was on since the height of the pandemic and subsequent hiatus. It was surreal in so many ways, but also, it was cathartic. I’ve been reading about therapy techniques where people reenact their trauma with friends-turned-actors and intentionally positioned furniture, and it’s benefits and impact on healing. I think I got to tap into that here. Intentionally making this mess, placing old pizza crust and mustard stained napkins – painstakingly recreating the life I used to live; feels different than waking up to it.
Keep an ear peeled for updates on the Juxt series – watch the completed film here: