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The Avant-Garde Art Women of Ava Luna

We talked to Felicia Douglass and Becca Kauffman about abstract art, 'Home Music Videos,' and go-to recipes.
Photo of Ava Luna. By Angel Ceballos

The artistry behind Ava Luna is by no means a coincidence. Defining the vision of this group are two of Ava Luna’s members, that also happen to be visual artists; performance and video artist Becca Kauffman and abstract painter Felicia Douglass. Bringing in their personal styles to color the band's music videos, stage presence, and album covers, these women carry a certain luminosity to the whole Ava Luna experience. The Creators Project had the pleasure of interviewing them about their personal projects and overall band dynamics.

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The Creators Project: Tell us about your creative histories.

Becca Kauffman (BK): My background is in the performing arts, specifically theater, dance, and singing. I consider performance itself to be my primary instrument.

Felicia Douglass (FD): My first creative passion was dance. My parents put me in ballet class when I was four and I didn’t stop till after college. Creative arts camp, piano lessons. Nerdy stuff.

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Home Music Video Series, still. Courtesy of Becca Kauffman

Becca, does your performative and video work seep into the music or visa versa? or do you feel as if it's all somewhat separated?

BK: Yes and no. The art I make independently is very separate, in my mind. My video performance project, Home Music Videos, is very private, for one—it takes place in my personal living space, in complete solitude.

Ava Luna is a public, group experience. We make together, play together, travel together, eat together, enter new worlds together. The public/private and group/solo dichotomies are big factors to me in my approach.

Felicia, the artwork you make has been featured as the album art for your band, how did this occur?  and who are your artistic influences?

FD: I'm into abstract and surrealist art. Yves Tanguy is one of my favorite artists. He had an ability to create delicate endless worlds with a great amount of detail. If I could live in his paintings I would. In terms of contemporary art, I love the structural work of Julie Mehretu. My work with Ava Luna shows a nice progression from stark to more expressionistic. Carlos has always been very supportive of my visual work. We collaborated on the cover for Infinite House, it was very time intensive.

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Infinite House album cover painting by Felicia Douglass

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Gemma Album Art by Felicia Douglass

What are some projects you're currently working on that you're excited about?

BK: I recently produced a five-part performance art piece for the DFA Records Halloween show at Palisades in Bushwick. I’m also working on a public access TV show called The Ridgewood Eye with my co-conspirator, Marie Demple. The first episode is here, and the second will be coming in January.

FD: My newest project is a collaboration with Erik Gundel called Gemma. Erik is a creative genius and I'm so happy to have the opportunity to work with him. The songwriting is personal and sentimental and the visual aesthetic is bright and playful, it sounds and looks like a braver version of me.

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Jennifer Vanilla Scratch n' Sniff Pageant, Halloween 2015. Funeral Procession. Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk

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Jennifer Vanilla Scratch n' Sniff Pageant, Halloween 2015. Frankenstein Chorusline. Photo by Nicolas Hen

As a group, what would you say keeps you all together? In terms of the way you work, the way you all think, a shared drive or ambition?

BK: We’re sickos. It’s the same reason why people return to their favorite go-to recipes. Everyone has that one specialty in the bank, even if they don’t really cook—why the repetition? Don’t you want to try baking bread for once? But no; you make the same dish over and over, and somehow it’s different every time. You’re part-scientist, part-gambler, part-addict, part-comfort-fiend, part-glutton, part-perfectionist, part-masochist, part-athlete, and you’re all friends. So you do it again and again and bring what you made to the party.

Learn more about each artist at www.feliciadouglass.com and http://beccakauffman.com.

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