Janire Nájera
Born
Bilbao, Basque Country
NationalitySpanish / British
Known forDocumentary photography, immersive arts, fulldome
Websitejanirenajera.com

Janire Nájera (born 1981) is a Spanish multimedia artist, documentary photographer and producer,[1][2] living and working in Cardiff, Wales.[3][4][5]

Nájera has specialised in storytelling through immersive media, founding Europe's first immersive research lab, CULTVR Lab in 2019 [6] to assist in the development and presentation of digital arts, live performance, and fulldome cinema.[7]

Her publications include Atomic Ed (2019),[8][9][10] unveiling the journey of Ed Grothus from working in Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to becoming an outspoken anti-nuclear activist; and Moving Forward Looking Back: Journeys Across the Old Spanish Trail (2015),[11][12] a documentary project looking for the traces of intangible heritage that evoke Spanish culture[13] in the American Southwest.[14]

Life and work

Nájera was born in Bilbao, Basque Country.[3] She grew up in Nájera, la Rioja[15] until she settled in Madrid to study a BA in Communications Sciences at Universidad Complutense.[16] Later on, Nájera studied documentary photography at University of Wales, Newport.[17][18] In 2017 she was a Research scholar at Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, at Chapman University, California.[19] In 2018 she was an artist in residence at Society of Arts and Technology (SAT), Montreal, Canada.[20]

Moving forward, looking back

Looking for the traces of intangible heritage that evokes Spanish culture in the American Southwest, Nájera travelled along the Old Spanish Trail following in the footsteps of Antonio Armijo, who first opened this trade route in the 19th century. Her project combines a collection of portraits and interviews with the travel diary written by Nájera during the trip.[21] Through a contemporary artistic language, Moving Forward, Looking Back provides an insight into how the traditions of the first settlers have merged with local cultures and have influenced the identity of today’s pueblos and modern cities in the states of New Mexico and California.[22]

Atomic Ed

Atomic Ed is about american antinuclear activist Ed Grothus who worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico for two decades.[23] Ed Grothus had first arrived at this hidden outpost of science to work as a machinist for the laboratory in 1949. During what Ed considered to be an unjust Vietnam War he felt no longer able to support the development of nuclear weapons and left his job becoming one of the most outspoken protestors of the 20th Century.[24] Najera undertook extensive research to collect archival documents, past and recent photographs and a selection of letters from over 50 years of correspondence between Ed Grothus and politicians, scientists, the media and his family taking us back and forth through the nuclear history of the USA.[25][26]

CULTVR Lab

CULTVR is Europe’s first immersive arts venue facilitating research into the production, development and exhibition of shared immersive cultural experiences. CULTVR provides an environment for researchers, producers, technologists, film and theatre makers, artists, academics and performers to come together in the pursuit of fulldome cinema, digital arts, Virtual Reality and immersive experiences. It opened its doors in Cardiff in 2019.[27]

Publications

  • Ghosts in Armour. Bilbao: Fundación Bilbao Arte Fundazioa, 2010. Edition of 600 copies.[28][29]
  • Moving Forward, Looking Back. Barcelona: RM, 2015. ISBN 9788416282197. Edition of 1000 copies.[30]
  • Atomic Ed. Barcelona: RM, 2019. ISBN 9788417047610. With a foreword by Celia Jackson.[31] Edition of 1500 copies.[32]

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

  • 2015: Moving Forward, Looking Back, FRAS, Washington, D.C.[33][34][35]
  • 2015: Moving Forward, Looking Back, Diffusion Photography Festival, Cardiff, UK[36]
  • 2015: Moving Forward, Looking Back, ZAWP Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain[37][38]
  • 2016: The Black Hole, Ayuntamiento de Logroño, La Rioja, Spain[39][40]
  • 2016: Moving Forward, Looking Back, National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA (March–September)[41]
  • 2017: Moving Forward, Looking Back, Chapman University, California, USA (February–June)[42]

Multimedia projects

  • Liminality Live, Cardiff-Montreal. 4Pi Productions and Society of Arts & Technology. 2018.[43][44]
  • Juniper, Cardiff. Slowly Rolling Camera and 4Pi Productions. 2019.[45][46]
  • Black Mantis. Cardiff. Deri Roberts and 4Pi Productions. 2020.

Awards

  • 2009: 100 European Young Talents, Europe's Creative Regions and Cities[47]
  • 2016: Winner UK, Flash Forward, Magenta Foundation[48]
  • 2018: Best Artistic Film, Macon Film Festival Fulldome, for Liminality (director and producer)[49]
  • 2018: Best Short Film, Janus Award 12th Jena Fulldome Festival, for Liminality (director and producer)[50]
  • 2018: Best Short Film, Minsk International Fulldome Festival, for Liminality (director and producer)[51]

References

  1. ↑ "Taller 'Del archivo fotográfico a la realidad virtual' con la artista Janire Nájera, este miércoles en la Amós Salvador". La Vanguardia. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
  2. ↑ "Janire Janire". European Prospects. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 Jenkins, Mark. "In the galleries: A photojournalist's journey". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
  4. ↑ Rond, Stephanie. "Fresh Artists". PBS. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  5. ↑ Redacción. "La artista riojana Janire Nájera conquista Newport, Bilbao y ahora Bruselas". La Rioja. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
  6. ↑ "Wales to Host Europe's First Immersive Arts Research Tech Hub". Wales Arts Review. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  7. ↑ CULTVR Lab. "Cardiff's Newest Venue Opens Tomorrow". Arts Council of Wales. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  8. ↑ Culture. "Fancy a mushroom-cloud mineral water? Relics of the atomic era – in pictures". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  9. ↑ Zoo, Alice (24 April 2019). "Book Review". 1000 Words Magazine. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
  10. ↑ Bookshop. "Book Presentation". The Photographers Gallery. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  11. ↑ Wren, Celia. "Conjuring Spain on a journey through the American Southwest". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
  12. ↑ Kuittinen, Riikka. "Book Review". Photomonitor. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  13. ↑ "A vivir que son dos días". Cadena SER. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  14. ↑ Hernandez, Antonio (9 June 2015). "10 minutes with Janire Najera". Cultures, causes & commerce. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  15. ↑ "Los pintores que ya no ven sólo viñas". La Rioja. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  16. ↑ Hughes, Barry W. "JANIRE NAJERA: LAST STAND AT LOS ALAMOS". SMBH. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  17. ↑ "University of South Wales 100 Years Of Photography At Newport". Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  18. ↑ "Graduate Photography Online / 2008". Source Magazine. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  19. ↑ Escalette Permanent Collection of Art, Phyllis & Ross. "Artists info". Chapman University. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  20. ↑ "Multimedia Artist & Photojournalist". SXSW. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  21. ↑ "Gente Despierta". RNE. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  22. ↑ Agencia EFE. "Retrato íntimo de la Ruta 66 mexicana". El Diario. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
  23. ↑ Lowry, David. "US atomic worker turned maverick anti-nuclear activist". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
  24. ↑ Brownlee, John. "The Black Hole of Los Alamos". Wired. Retrieved 12 May 2006.
  25. ↑ "Artist's book by Janire Nájera". Photo-eye. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  26. ↑ "'One bomb too many´". LA Monitor. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  27. ↑ "Cardiff's newest cultural offering CULTVR LAB opens its doors". Creative Cardiff. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  28. ↑ "Una exposición muestra en el Parlamento Europeo la transformación industrial en Bilbao, Gales y Ruhr". La Información. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
  29. ↑ Chamberlain, Laura. "Ghosts in Armour returns to The Riverfront, Newport". BBC. Retrieved 2010-09-06.
  30. ↑ Oczypok, Kate. "Photojournalist Takes Reflective Road Trip Across Old Spanish Trail". The Washington Diplomat. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  31. ↑ Jackson, Celia (February 2019). Absent Presences, Unconscious Collaborators:: Metaphotography and the Black Hole. University of South Wales. pp. 161–163. ISBN 9788417047610. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  32. ↑ "Janire Nájera muestra en Barcelona la historia nuclear de EEUU en Guerra Fría". La Vanguardia. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  33. ↑ Pascual Macías, Beatriz. "De N.México a California, retrato de la esencia española en suroeste de EEUU". La Vanguardia. Retrieved 2015-05-01.
  34. ↑ Jenkins, Kevin. "Spain's legacy in the Southwest". The Durango Herald. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
  35. ↑ Sanchez Cañete, Jesus. "Janire Nájera mostrará la influencia española en el continente americano a través de sus fotografías". USA Hispanic. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  36. ↑ Sritharan, Brennavan. "Looking for America – Diffusion: Cardiff International Festival of Photography returns". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
  37. ↑ Correo, El (13 November 2015). "Janire Nájera. "Moving Forward, Looking Back"". agenda.elcorreo.com.
  38. ↑ Undurraga, Ane. "Mi obra es arte que está en proceso; no está terminada". Deia. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  39. ↑ Correo, El (2 March 2016). "Janire Nájera. "The Black Hole"". agenda.elcorreo.com.
  40. ↑ Espinosa, Estíbaliz. "El arte de documentar con imágenes". La Rioja. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  41. ↑ Beckwith, Spencer. "Journeying Across The Old Spanish Trail". KUNM. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  42. ↑ "Moving Forward, Looking Back Goes Digital! - Wilkinson Scholars-in-Residence Create Digital Version of Exhibition". Escalette Permanent Collection of Art at Chapman University. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  43. ↑ "Liminality". Quebec Danse. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  44. ↑ "Hybrid multisensory performance comes to Wales". Wales Arts International. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  45. ↑ "Juniper". Echo Music. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  46. ↑ "Juniper". Diffusion Festival. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  47. ↑ https://vehir.hu/data/file/2009/04/14/100_talents_biograpghies.pdf/
  48. ↑ Foundation, The Magenta. "Flash Forward 2016". The Magenta Foundation.
  49. ↑ "2018 Festival Winners". Macon Film Festival.
  50. ↑ "2018 Fulldome Festival Award Winners – Fulldome News".
  51. ↑ "MIFF 2018 AWARDS | MIFF". miff.planetarium.by.
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