ADELAIDE WILSON
Multimedia art exploring the culture of past decades.
“I honestly have no idea how or when I decided I wanted to be a filmmaker, but I do remember coming up with the idea for the first actual film I made and being flooded with the feeling that I just absolutely had to do it no matter what.”
Multimedia creator Adelaide Wilson doesn’t limit herself to one creative expression. As a passionate filmmaker, photographer, fine artist, and folk musician, Adelaide uses her fascination with the pop-culture of the 1960’s and 70’s to create unique and ultra stylized creations. Emphasizing color and style, Adelaide’s expansive portfolio of work sparks a warmth that engulfs the consumer in a feeling of familiar nostalgia, regardless of the era they grew up in.
Basement: What influences your work?
Adelaide: I find influence for my work in many different ways, whether it be people or places or tiny moments that happen throughout the day. With everything I make nature is a very big factor, sometimes even looking at clouds and leaves on trees can spark ideas and feelings I want to show in my films and art. I feel the most full of inspiration during summer when things are bright and warm and I hope that that is visible through my work. A few artists that I can think of who influence or inspire my work are Cheryl Dunye, Mary Quant, and my sister Daphne. I also draw a lot of inspiration from fashion, music, and culture of past decades, particularly the 1960’s.
Adelaide: Recording and putting out music has been something quite new for me in the past year. I have always been really into singing and performing, but never thought that I would seriously be recording my work. I started writing poetry and lyrics a few years ago as a sort of therapeutic process and it’s just stuck as a way to respond to the things that have been going on in my life. Since moving to Chicago so many changes have happened and I ended up writing a bunch of songs because of them. I met one of my closest friends, Harry Baker, freshman year and he encouraged me to record some music with him. The songs we recorded ended up being my first EP Older Than Tomorrow.
Basement: You dabble in many media, can you tell me about how you found each of these passions and what your journey has been to finding your creative voice?
Adelaide: I honestly have no idea how or when I decided I wanted to be a filmmaker, but I do remember coming up with the idea for the first actual film I made and being flooded with the feeling that I just absolutely had to do it no matter what. That film was a (really bad!!) queer short film and it was at a point when I was still in the closet. Making it really made me realize that cinema was a way to find comfort in stories I would not have seen otherwise. I experimented with different genres and ways of making films, and over the past few years have really found a style of filmmaking that genuinely feels right to me. Shooting film is really what made me fall in love with photography. I started shooting a film about two years ago when I found an old Minolta in a dusty box in high school. Since then I have grown very fond of capturing small sweet moments with friends and different events and such. Starting to work with 35mm photography led me to want to start shooting on Super 8, and in a way I think it has really helped shape what my vision is in all of my creative work.
Basement: What narratives do you hope come across in your work?
Adelaide: The narratives that I try to show in my work really vary from each different art form. The music that I make is usually really personal and is a reflection of things I have experienced in life. For film I try to expand on small things that everyone can relate to in one way or another. For example in my film Mod Mod Teenage World I focused on the struggle that many people (especially young people) have with the anxieties of feeling that you have to meet societal standards in the media to be desirable. I tried to take that feeling and turn it into a story that was much more lighthearted. In future work I would really love to show more queer narratives and stories that are not often highlighted all of the time in film.
Basement: What do you find special about being an artist in Chicago?
Adelaide: Being an artist in Chicago is amazing, I have met so many other talented artists since moving here. I was surprised to find that there are others who are also super into vintage things and the 1960’s living here and reaching out to them and meeting them has been very nice. I have been able to make art with people who have similar interests and also people who have very different styles, it’s been lovely. I feel like everytime I go outside here there is something new in the city that inspires me, I haven't felt that in many other places
Basement: What’s next for you? Any new stuff on the horizon?
Adelaide: It was quite tricky during quarantine to find inspiration for new films so I ended up writing a bunch of songs. I’m currently in the process of starting to record my first album and I’m extremely excited about it! Since being back in the city I’ve been able to get back into the swing of making films and I have some music video projects coming up in the next few months. I also recently wrote a script with a queer narritive that is set in the 1970’s, I’m hoping to make into a film in the next year :)