FRAMED

FRAMED: DANI RUSSO

third-year studio art major concentration in 3D and sculpture @drusso.sfx

“Fear is a very humbling emotion and a full sensory experience in a lot of ways. At the same time though, it’s also one of the most actively sought out and intriguing experiences. People love to be scared and love to challenge themselves [with] what they are afraid of in a lot of ways. In this way, I’m focusing on that dichotomy and really intrinsic relationship of attraction and repulsion.

“There are so many different things that special effects can accomplish. For instance, I am really drawn to the realism and the illusion of reality that I can achieve with special effects. I’ve played a lot with really gory physical trauma effects in the past, and with those pieces, getting a visceral reaction from people being really disgusted or having to look away was what I was after and what I prided myself on most. Recently, however, I’ve been more drawn to a surrealist lens with much of my work, and I look to create work that showcases an almost nonhuman or 'oddity' quality to the body.

“I think a lot of people just don’t really know a ton about practical special effects in general. I think because special effects is a dying art, and many of the effects that we see nowadays are CGI — especially the more fantasy or sci-fi effects that we see in film — people kind of don’t realize that special effects is a really involved art form. Moreover, because we live in such a digital age, I think practical special effects can be seriously overlooked in terms of media production. There’s so much that goes into an effect, from that one bruise in that medical drama to that horrifying death trap in Saw. It’s a detailed and laborious process but it can yield some of the most believable and tangible effects.”