Ainsley Boyd gives motion to still images. The resulting films merge photographic and filmic ideas, playing with the idea of time and memory. She plays with some of my most beloved themes: nostalgia, memories, and the reinterpretation of the past into the present.

Ainsley has an exciting opportunity this fall to show her film, Quiet Ostinato, at the Guelph Nuit Blanche and is leveraging RocketHub to crowdfund this into a reality. Here is what Ainsley had to say about her film/photography project:

Much of the inspiration for my photography and film work comes from the natural world. I am interested in small, seemingly mundane, things that we pass by everyday. Beauty in the shadows and the light between shadows. Living in downtown Toronto forced me to look for nature wherever I could find it, that is what I am doing in my film. Searching for the wild in the midst of the city.

I am actually educated as a photographer and the film kind of grew out of the still images I was creating. At some point they were just begging for movement. A sort of photographic context, what comes before and after a single image. Like much of my work, this film is also about experimenting with something new. In the case, working with film and the Bolex camera and the unique functions it has like varied frame rate and single frame shooting. I am always looking to challenge myself in my work and try something new.

How has your experience been as a crowdfunding pioneer in the world of visual art in Toronto - how are your supporters responding?

It is pretty cool to see people supporting you in this way. I have always hated asking people for money. It's pretty exciting and encouraging that so many people are willing to support something that I have worked so hard at. I think crowdfunding is a good way to get people on board with your project. The idea that they can give even 5 or 10 dollars is much less intimidating that other forms of fundraising. I also like that there is a tangible reward, besides that good feeling of helping out, for my fuelers. Sending off little photographs in the mail to them feels like an appropriate thanks.

You've been doing great so far - where is this momentum coming from and how can we bottle it?

Well, I am not really sure how that happened! Haha. I guess you just have to put yourself out there. Ask people to support you and keep reminding them that you are still there. I have found Facebook and Twitter, as well as my email updates, very helpful in reminding people that I am still Fundraising. Basically, you need to get people excited about your project, which is much easier when you are also excited about it.

Excitement is contagious. Thank you Ainsley for being so candid both in this interview and in your work. Check out this cool project, here.

-Vlad