It doesn’t take a shared medium for creators to find a connection. Some of the best collaborations come from artists who draw on one another’s strengths from different fields.
That is the case for Judebird and Jork, whom I would describe as a musical filmmaker and filmmaking musician, respectively.
Jude Dennis, also known as Judebird, is a Charlotte-based filmmaker, director, musician and multimedia visual artist who recently screened her three-part movie, Dawn Chorus, at Goodyear Arts. Her avant-garde style, especially in film, captures daily life by utilizing accessible tools like phone cameras.
Both the visual and audial facets of her work center on discovering appreciation in miniscule details.
Jake Reid is Jork, a musician, website designer and multimedia visual artist who similarly prioritizes the capturing of love and beauty in daily life. That’s best portrayed in the diverse blend of genres infused throughout their experimental hyperpop music — every sound intentional in the way it interweaves with what came before and what lies on the horizon.
The two artists have partnered again for an upcoming listening party in south Charlotte, scheduled for Feb. 14 at a home near the Park Road Shopping Center, where Jork will play his debut album, Blogmate, synced up with a custom-made visualizer from Judebird.
Before that, I met with the two artists in Judebird’s home to discuss their relationship as collaborators and their desires for contributing to the Charlotte community.
This interview has been edited for conciseness and clarity.
Queen City Nerve: The two of you have previously shared with me your shared belief that all good audio needs quality visuals to coexist. In addition to your individual portfolios, you’ve collaborated multiple times, mainly for Jork’s music videos. How did these collaborations bloom?
Jork: We started when I put out my story like, “Hey, need like light effects for a Jork live performance thing!”
Judebird: Yeah, and I swiped up and I was like, “I don’t do any of that BS, do you want, like, a video?” Literally he wanted lighting — like, set design something. I was like, “I’ve never even tried that in my whole life. Do you want videos or something crazy?”
Jork: I think you said, “I don’t know anything about this, but I’d love to learn,” or something … And even the first hangouts we had, I think it was very quick that we both had a love for trying to make things that are unlovable lovable.
Judebird: Yeah! … That was the first thing we talked about.
Jork: Like trying to make asphalt feel like love, or like how to approach cement in a way with love. And I think once we had that, we’ve been thinking about the same thing for a really long time … It was kind of just obvious at that point where … I feel like trust was fused at that point.
What do you aim to capture with your art?
Judebird: The first thing we talked about, Jork was sending me inspiration videos. And I was like, “Oh, do you know Jonas Mekas?” And so we started talking about film diaries. I feel like that’s something I want to talk about with all of our work together. It is capturing this — I don’t want to put it too simply because I feel like it’s just going to sound simple — but just real life and very personal [imagery], you know?
But even in like, just lyrically and how Jork’s music feels, the more I’m listening to it while I’m editing, I’m like, “This album really is like a diary of a certain kind,” you know? I feel like me coming from straight-up film diary making before we met, and that being kind of my mode…
Jork: …It’s almost like a voice. Like when you read an author’s work, that is the voice. I’ve always approached the diary stuff as … I feel like everything you need is already inside you. Each day is a mosaic of what you consumed that day; you already have all that.
Judebird: And then also, I think we both were also meeting each other in a moment when we were ready to collaborate … ready to just open up and really do things with people, too. We both were entering points in our lives where we were like, “Okay, it’s not only time to find friends and join social networks, but also to not be so precious about what we’re making — to allow life to just, like, move through, you know?” So the two videos we made were so organically moving through just what we were both feeling artistically in that day, what we were putting out.
What is the biggest difference between your two art styles? Has there ever been anything you’ve had to compromise on stylistically, or any differences in style that you find yourself adjusting to when you collaborate?
Jork: The thing with the music videos was that they were so easy because I just threw it at Jude and Jude was like, “Oh, here you go.” I was like, “Perfect.” There was no communication. It was just kind of like, “You’re in the know, I’m in the know. Okay, cool.”
But with working on music together, I think our processes are very opposite. She wants to go like, huge avant-garde, feeling your way through the motions, and I’m much more, like, formulaic. With her, she’s going to introduce all the elements at the same time all over the place and then trust her brain to clip it down. I’m clipping it down as I’m going.
What’s the most rewarding part of working together with those differences?
Jork: Well, the music videos are so … it’s just how easy and casual and natural it is. The music stuff is like…
Judebird: …We’re still working on it.
Jork: Yeah, the music stuff is a very early work in progress. I think working with someone for the first time, it kind of feels like you’re in a room that’s pitch black. So you’re kind of feeling around and stuff. I think it’s nice when you find a little item in the room where it’s like, “Okay, we have that in our toolbox. We know this works.”
Judebird: I’m excited to keep working on that stuff.
How do you believe the art you make together contributes to the broader creative community in Charlotte?
Jork: For me, I don’t know yet because this album is going to be the first big release; I’m trying to build that trust with the community. I just want this to be a product of the community and make friends and stuff so that we can execute an idea and make stuff, you know?
Judebird: Yeah. And we’ve had that conversation a lot of times because I’ve been thinking about this a lot. It’s becoming really clear to me that, “Oh, I don’t even want to make videos if they’re not full of our friends,” you know? Or even derived from our friends in a certain ego-less kind of way, which is literally never how I’ve worked in my whole life.
Jork: It’s an important thing; it’s almost like wanting to impress each other. It’s like the engine. It’s wanting to trust, wanting to show someone that wants you to win that you’re winning.
Judebird: That’s so sweet. And they’re always going to be our cheerleaders. So it just works out
What can folks expect at your upcoming ‘Blogmate’ listening party on Feb. 14?
Jork: You can expect Jork CDs, there are Jork stickers that come with [them]. You can expect a bomb Jude certified visualizer and a really cool space to be in!
The Blogmate listening party is scheduled for Feb. 14 at 3938 Arbor Lane. Doors open at 7 p.m., music at 8. Learn more about Judebird at her website, while Jork’s can be found here. Follow Judebird on Instagram here, and Jork here.
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