Celeste Winter

I am a director and producer making autobiographical films. My film, “What is the Nuclear Family?” reflects my desire to articulate my thoughts and feelings and neuro-diverse methods of working. I believe it is necessary to translate the feelings and emotions that I have struggled to put into words and that affect me deeply represented in a video diary archive. My aim is to make work that offers new approaches to family archiving and is presented as a creative innovative legacy. Each episode of the work explores different themes associated with family constellations and relationships. The prologue is an interview with my mother, who is a psychologist – we trace my childhood together and the audience is put in the position of listening in. The next episode – Place and Cultural Identity explores having dual nationality and the process of a family name change. The final part is entitled Claiming my Own Skin – exploring and reflecting on the process of getting body tattoos. As an artist I am interested in methods of sustainability – I make clothes and recycle – I see creativity as part of everyday life. My online folio also includes drawings of fantastic imagery inspired by illustrators such as Sian Barton. My creative goal is to work in a vibrant context that allows me to expand on my interest in psychology, child development, family constellations and art.

“What is the Nuclear Family?” is a long-form four-part series consisting of a prologue and a trilogy of overlapping autobiographical films. The personal and reflective series consists of the following overlapping episodes:

001 Prologue An intimate film using a voice-over/conversation-  in the style of a therapy session with my mother, focusing on family constellation therapy. The conversation expands our recognition that emotional and physical symptoms from childhood can manifest in differing types of attachment to people. My mother is a psychologist – we trace my childhood together and the audience is put in the position of listening in. 01 Family Constellation Exploration of my family history and identity – that introduces the idea and also the next episode on the actual process of one’s birth name and why I changed both my first name and surname. 02 Place and Cultural Identity to camera exploration of having dual nationality and the process of a family name change. 03 Claiming my Own Skin, exploring and reflecting on the process of getting body tattoos.