If you don't know...Helena Almeida
…Let me introduce you!
Helena Almeida is a Sound Designer & Location Recordist based in London UK, originally from Lisbon, Portugal. She studied at Goldsmiths and is inspired by a range of multidisciplinary artists and forms.
I asked her some questions!
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HALEY: How do you describe your work?
HELENA: My work is very intuitive, I gather a lot of sounds from my surroundings and piece it together - it has a lot of influence from collage and performance art itself. Most of the time it’s just noise that needs some sort of visual support. I then experiment with different plug-ins and it takes me a few weeks to finish one or two tracks. There’s a lot of looping and layering to make things, some completely different and unrecognisable! I really enjoy playing as much as possible with no pressure.
HALEY: What’s your artistic mission?
HELENA: My work is actually dedicated to myself. I have difficulties communicating openly so my work makes me feel good, it’s a place where I don’t need to explain much.
HALEY: What are some favourite projects that you’ve worked on?
HELENA: (1) I would say supporting my housemate Anna Marie Synstad with her performance: Naughty. (2) All In Your Head – which is a verbatim piece premiering on the 14th of February 2021. And (3) being the location recordist for an anti-racism debate for BBC (yet to be released).
HALEY: What are you working on these days?
HELENA: I am currently working in the process of collaborating with artist Grace Woodcock in a kinetic performance art piece.
HALEY: What artists do you look up to?
HELENA: I look up to a range of interdisciplinary artists. Given the fact that my work branches out & finds inspiration in design, illustration, dance, medieval/Egyptian design; Pina Bausch, Max Ritcher, Georgia O’Keefe, Anne Hardy, Progressive Rock, Terry Riley, Don Cherry and Modernist Design. I’m fascinated by Westminster Station. It’s absolutely surreal.
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