Relationships can be strange. The dynamics, the language, the mere expressions — everything that occurs when two people are in a close relationship makes it hard for those outside of it to see the people for who they truly are, as if something is inherently lost to the observer. And yet, a relationship can be a powerful way to inspire the people in it to be more than themselves. So much creativity comes not just from being in a relationship, but also from one’s partner having a proactive role in their creative life, serving as a push in the right direction or as a supporting element. We may not see who people truly are, but we might see more of them than we would have otherwise, due to the dynamics of the relationship itself.
Last week marked the nine-year wedding anniversary of Rachel and Grant Evans. Rachel, better known to us as Motion Sickness of Time Travel, just released a compilation tape set, Diaries & Documents: 2006-2010. As she noted in reaching out to us, 2006 was around the time she and Grant met, and the “Diaries” segment contains works that were created from that point to some time around their marriage in 2008. (The latter segment, “Documents,” is of live performances that occurred from 2008 to 2010.) This is further reflected in the trailer below, the work of Grant collecting video clips through those years.
It is a unique reflection to show work in this manner. It possesses the element of Evans’s life not only as an individual, but also as a partner in a relationship. It’s not something that one easily exposes to others, and it’s one that can possess a different meaning to those unfamiliar to the relationship, if not to relationships in general. But it is perhaps this sudden vulnerability of the past that allows us to understand the individual more and give strength to the work itself. Maybe that’s how we learn.
Diaries & Documents: 2006-2010 is available now, in an edition of 100, through Adversary Electronics, the label created by Rachel and Grant Evans to release their work.
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