Meet Viktor, Interdisciplinary Arts MA Candidate
Viktor
Tell me a little bit about what you were doing before you came to Columbia.
Before transitioning to the wonder-filled world of Chicago and Columbia, I was a freelance teaching artist and stage director for local theater companies in Nashville, TN. A great deal of my time and energy was geared towards developing my portfolio for graduate studies. It was a tedious time, a time-consuming time, a very directed and focused time, and I am more than excited about the fruits it has produced.
What made you choose Columbia?
Oddly enough, Columbia was not my first choice. Initially, I was in Baltimore, MD at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) pursuing my MFA in Community Art. But to be very honest, I was greatly discomforted by the way life manifested in Baltimore and quickly caught the first bus heading to Chicago. As it turned out, the day I sent in my letter to resign from the MFA Community Art program, Columbia sent me an email stating that there was an extension to the application deadline. I knew then at that moment that life had opened another window for me to jump out of!! (Tuck and roll.)
What is your favorite thing about the Interdisciplinary Arts MA program so far?
Umm. That’s tricky, because now that we are in hibernation for the winter, I am truly given time to reflect on the experience being had. Until now, there was simply so much going on at one time in one space that I felt a bit overworked and under-productive. This city, this institution has so much to offer that it can be a bit overwhelming, especially coming from Nashville where arts and culture aren’t as abundant and organized. But, I guess to answer the question (lol), I would say the Audio Lab and Papermaking Studio. These are the spaces where I am truly comfortable in exploring the inner vibrations of my being. These spaces keep me emotionally sane… trust!!
What project are you working on right now that you are excited about?
My first experimental theater piece: The Post Poned Labor Project. I have been nurturing this script for a year or so now—I dreamt it up four years ago, but the muse has been visiting me abusively. I must keep my voice down or else she will hear me… shhhhhh… (lol). But I look forward to staging a few readings at the top of the spring and testing the work’s plasticity… AHHHHHHH