Jennifer Elster is an American experimental artist, filmmaker, writer, photographer, musician, and performer. She is the founder of ''The Development'', a film and art studio based in New York City. She is best known for her performance artwork, her solo multidisciplinary exhibitions, ''The Retrospective of an Extroverted Recluse'', and ''The Wake The F*ck Up Show'', as well as her artistic collaborations transforming the late
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
into different characters and having written lyrics
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
performed for the online cinematic excursion Elster helmed entitled ''ITW Pathway'' featuring Will Oldham and the late
Glenn O'Brien
Glenn O'Brien (March 2, 1947 – April 7, 2017) was an American writer who focused largely on the subjects of art, music, and fashion. He was featured for many years as "The Style Guy" in ''GQ'' magazine and published a book with that title. He ...
. Elster conceived and directed her upcoming fourteen year film project ''...In the Woods (and Elsewhere)'', which features subjects such as
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films '' Dead Presidents'' and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'', Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema role ...
, Debra Winger,
Questlove,
Rosie Perez
Rosa Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an American actress, choreographer, dancer, and activist. Her breakthrough came with her portrayal of Tina in the film ''Do the Right Thing'' (1989), followed by ''White Men Can't Jump'' (1992). Perez's perf ...
, and
Dave Matthews, among others. Elster's performance and video art have been exhibited at the
New Museum
The New Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is a museum in New York City at 235 Bowery, on Manhattan's Lower East Side.
History
The museum originally opened in a space in the Graduate Center of the then-named New Sch ...
and Central Booking gallery, in group shows with artists, such as
Jonas Mekas
Jonas Mekas (; December 24, 1922 – January 23, 2019) was a Lithuanian-American filmmaker, poet, and artist who has been called "the godfather of American avant-garde cinema". Mekas' work has been exhibited in museums and at festivals worldwid ...
and the late
Kate Millett
Katherine Murray Millett (September 14, 1934 – September 6, 2017) was an American feminist writer, educator, artist, and activist. She attended Oxford University and was the first American woman to be awarded a degree with first-class honors ...
, and she has performed at such galleries as
Signs and Symbols Gallery,
Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, and The Development Underground. Her work focuses on the complexities of humanity and the ongoing fight for social justices. She designs under the J. Elster brand.
Career
Jennifer Elster was born and raised in New York City.
She began creating art at an early age as a way to deal with the harshness of reality.
Elster obsessively wrote as soon as she was able to write. She created sculptures of people and directed plays and wherever else her imagination took her as a child. As a teenager, she began doing performance dance in the underground art scene at clubs such as The Garage, Tunnel, Fun House, and M.K. She attended
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, ...
, majoring in psychology and writing and graduated with honors.
Elster began her career at
Conde Nast
Conde may refer to:
Places
United States
* Conde, South Dakota, a city
France
* Condé-sur-l'Escaut (or simply 'Condé'), a commune
Linguistic
''Conde'' is the Ibero-Romance form of "count" (Latin ''comitatus'').
It may refer to:
* Count ...
, working as a fashion assistant at
Mademoiselle
Mademoiselle (abbreviated as ''Mlle'' or ''M'') may refer to:
* Mademoiselle (title), the French-language equivalent of the title "miss"
Film and television
* ''Mademoiselle'' (1966 film), a French-British drama directed by Tony Richardson
* '' ...
to subsidize her college tuition.
She quickly got promoted to Market Editor and then stylist.
She then left to pursue her obsession with writing, but was sought after for her unique aesthetic and ended up styling such artists as the late
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
for
''Outside'',
Chloe Sevigny
Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root ', which relates to the colors yellow and green. T ...
,
Shirley Manson
Shirley Ann Manson (born 26 August 1966) is a Scottish musician and actress. She is best known as the lead singer of the American alternative rock band Garbage. Manson gained media attention for her forthright style, rebellious attitude, and di ...
,
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, whi ...
,
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (born 18 June 1952) is an Italian-American actress, author, philanthropist, and model. The daughter of the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and the Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is note ...
, and
Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...
. Her work has been featured in numerous publications, including covers and stories for
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
, The Face,
Dazed
''Dazed'' (''Dazed & Confused'' until February 2014) is a bi-monthly British style magazine founded in 1991. It covers music, fashion, film, art, and literature. Dazed is published by Dazed Media, an independent media group known for producing ...
, and
Time Magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on M ...
.
In the late 90s, she began making experimental films. In 2000 she held her first private art show at the Shooting Gallery, exhibiting a series of stencil canvases and screening an experimental film.
Elster made her first short films on shoe-string budgets.
''Dirty'' and ''Ill Will'' were both shown at the
Los Angeles Film Festival
The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episod ...
in 2001.
A native New Yorker, Elster was greatly affected by
9/11 and cited the experience as "an inevitable influence" on her work and life.
In 2003 Elster's debut feature, ''
Particles of Truth'', which she wrote, produced, directed, and starred in, premiered in the
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was ...
and aired on the
Sundance Channel Sundance Channel can refer to:
* Sundance TV, formerly known as Sundance Channel (United States).
* Sundance Channel (Canada)
* Sundance Channel (Netherlands)
* Sundance Channel (Europe)
* Sundance Channel (Iberia)
* Sundance Channel (Asia)
* Sunda ...
and
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
.
The small-budget indie was described by ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' as "what Hollywood mightily strives for – a believable romantic comedy."
Kevin Thomas of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' called it "an assured and ambitious first film," noting that, "The images of ''Particles of Truth'' are so sharp and cut so deep, it's as if its writer-director and co-star Jennifer Elster made them with a scalpel." Eric Campos of
Film Threat
''Film Threat'' is an online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. It first ...
described the film as "quite an intense emotional rollercoaster with standout performances, especially from Elster."
In 2010, Elster directed ''The Being Experience: The Prologue'' as a precursor to her upcoming film series.
A diverse group of people participated, including
Moby
Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...
,
Temple Grandin
Mary Temple Grandin (born August 29, 1947) is an American academic and animal behaviorist. She is a prominent proponent for the humane treatment of livestock for slaughter and the author of more than 60 scientific papers on animal behavior. Gra ...
and
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
.
Paste Magazine
''Paste'' is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with studios in Atlanta and Manhattan, and owned by Paste Media Group. The magazine began as a website in 1998. It ran as a print publication fr ...
reported of the episodic release: "The delivery will be as unconventional as the experience itself." ''The Being Experience'' had been described by Paste as an "eerie psychological ride", while
IndieWire
IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...
notes the unconventional nature of ''Into the Woods'': "Elster's subjects are both literally and figuratively unaware of their path." In 2013 Elster then directed the interactive online experience ''ITW Pathways'', a haunting glimpse into the labyrinth minds of the filmmaker and her subjects, where pathways always recede and no one can really say where it's going other than "…In the Woods". This interactive experience is of parallax depth, pushing the limits of the medium in unexplored directions. These online experiences explore a new way to tell a story and interact within a cinematic experience through pathways that lead to plot twists and interactivity, bringing the audience deeper into the world of "…In the Woods." This online experience was released while in post production of the upcoming film series"... In the Woods (and Elsewhere)", and features artists such as
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films '' Dead Presidents'' and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'', Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema role ...
,
Will Oldham
Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...
,
Jørgen Leth
Jørgen Leth (; born 14 June 1937) is a Danish poet and film director who is considered a leading figure in experimental documentary film making. Most notable are his documentary ''A Sunday in Hell'' (1977) and his surrealistic short film ''The ...
, and
Famke Janssen
Famke Beumer Janssen (; born ) is a Dutch actress. She played Xenia Onatopp in '' GoldenEye'' (1995), Jean Grey / Phoenix in the ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2014), and Lenore Mills in the ''Taken'' film trilogy (2008–2014). In 2008, she ...
. Elster's upcoming film series "...In the Woods (and Elsewhere)" has been fourteen years in the making and will conclude filming in the summer of 2020.
In 2013, Elster expanded her repertoire by founding the J. Elster brand.
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
commented on "the beauty of the handmade pieces."
Elster launched ChannelELSTER.com: A Place for Out of the Ordinary Cinema and Sound and opened The Development, a private underground studio and "living installation", in 2016. ''The Retrospective of an Extroverted Recluse'' was the first public showing of her work,
which was hailed by Michael Tommaseillo of
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
as "simply magnificent. It dealt with some of my favorite sad topics such as love, love lost, longing, and conflict." The pop-up show featured a multi-disciplinary installation of photography, painting, video, and performances by Jennifer Elster with such musicians as,
Trevor Gureckis,
Mariko Anruku and
Sugar Vendil.
In May 2017, Jennifer Elster performed ''Amid the Beauty'' and ''Cemetery: Is Death?'' at the
New Museum
The New Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is a museum in New York City at 235 Bowery, on Manhattan's Lower East Side.
History
The museum originally opened in a space in the Graduate Center of the then-named New Sch ...
.
She also screened her video art titled, ''Unknown''.
Elster also performed in shows at West Park, Salon STUX,
Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, and The Development Underground.
In 2018, Elster did a solo art exhibition titled "The Wake The F*ck Up Show", featuring a variety of conceptual work, photography, video, performance, paintings and words, that put forth a dialogue for our times in a multimedia exhibition that cut through to the artery to move the American conversation further along.
Elster's political activism can be seen in her protests as well as visual and performative artwork advocating for civil rights and social justice.
Additionally she has fought for
net neutrality
Network neutrality, often referred to as net neutrality, is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all Internet communications equally, offering users and online content providers consistent rates irrespective of c ...
in a written campaign by Elster and
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem (; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Steinem was a ...
At a street protest, she stated that she "became incredibly concerned about the way that repealing net neutrality was going to affect the future of our internet freedom...
nd thatshe had to respond."
Filmography
References
External links
Channel ElsterJ. ELSTER
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elster, Jennifer
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Artists from New York City