What does it mean to be young, inspired and completing school in the arts in this day and age? Rachelle Sabourin can give you a little glimpse into her day to day affairs. The edgier, tattoo-loving, metal/hardcore addict is not just your average school girl. In fact, her schedule was so hectic that we didn’t even get to meet for this interview. Between juggling school, working as a Visual Arts Coordinator, running The Creation Lab (Toronto Fringe Festival) and working in retail, she is literally running across town and constantly catching her breath. Attending York University to complete her undergraduate Art History degree, Sabourin also experiments with photography shooting in a completely unedited style with a 35mm camera. For some, shooting this way can be a daunting experience. It is literally stripping yourself of all the fancy technologically driven innovations that have evolved in photography over the past decade - in a way, technology made photography easier, approachable, yet detached. For Sabourin however, experimenting with imperfections and natural processes of light was an opportunity to figure out how to use film. Taking each step in stride and falling in love with the feeling, is something that is much more her style. As she continues to find her distinct style in photography, she keeps her eye on the prize which is to allow herself time to evolve as an artist and continue to grow into the artist she is meant to be. Though Sabourin admits that she is “in no hurry to emerge”, we have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot more from her in the years to come. What is your name and what do you do? My name's Rachelle Sabourin - I associate as a student-artist who's in no hurry to emerge. I have a lot of learning to do artistically before I think I'm ready to spread my work throughout the Toronto art scene. I shoot 35mm photography, completely unedited. How did you get into photography? I started shooting film early on in high school, my mom gave me her Nikon FG and the manual and I went to work trying to figure it all out on my own. At first I had no idea what a light meter was, which invited me to teach myself how to shoot film entirely manually down to the f-stop. Obviously, the first time I took a course on manual photography in high school I was shocked to discover this neat little feature. Now after the exploring and experimenting I've created my personal style and taste on film (often washed-out, bright, dreamy type photos) which someday I hope to make recognizable as my own. What do you like to shoot? My absolute favourite thing to shoot is intimate portraits; in a recent series I shot female collarbones and I hope to move on to hip bones, knees, things like that. I'd really love to start shooting nudes in the near future. Where do you go to school? I'm studying Art History at York U, in hopes of becoming a Professor and perhaps a curator. Stylistically do you have a favorite photographer? There's a lot of photographers I really enjoy. I've always loved Vivian Maier's self portraits but stylistically I love Annie Leibovitz’s portraits of Susan Sontag - they're so incredibly personal. I can't name many photographers I frame my work around, but it kind of keeps me going to see the local artists who are experimenting and challenging themselves. I find it really inspiring to see other people in Toronto shooting similar format and messing with the expectations of photography. What is your favorite neighborhood in the city? I love the Annex, it's the first neighbourhood I explored in Toronto and I'm just down the street from it now. It's quirky and has that Toronto-grunge feel but it's very comfortable. Great bars and restaurants and Mirvish village is always amazing. I also love a good sunday afternoon in Kensington, but who doesn't? Do you have a favorite food? I have grown up on asian food, in my house it was more common to have curry than spaghetti. So naturally I love indian, thai, japanese etc. I could live off of sushi. A day in the life of Rachelle Sabourin is... Well, a normal day for me is the [1] hour plus trek to York U, and back. Then, I work at my retail job. This is followed by an evening of either class readings or good music. The weekends include walks in the city, patios, kitchen parties, U of T bars, or local shows. (I am always down for live music). I'd like to say I take my camera with me everywhere but the reality is these cameras are often extremely heavy and fragile. So the camera is usually with me on the weekends, or days when I'm feeling desperately inspired. What kind of music do you listen to? I listen to a wide range of stuff, but my favourite artists are Brand New, Caribou, Phantogram, Beach House, Youth Lagoon, and anyone associated with Ed Banger Records from Paris. Lots of electronic but I dabble in R&B and Rap, as well. (Just not a country girl). My favourite concerts are always Metal/Hardcore shows. There’s something about the energy. Who / what are some of your biggest inspirations in life? My dad has always been my biggest inspiration as cheesy as that sounds. He sculpted and worked for the life he wanted, and achieved it magnificently, despite any challenges. My inspirations, artistically, range from Fafi to Boccioni - I have an eclectic and weird taste in art and I think it describes me well. What is your favorite camera (shooting) memory? I took a film camera to Lollapalooza a few years ago and a stranger asked if he could take a picture with it while we were watching Cut Copy perform. I set the shot up for him and he just clicked the shutter. He was so thrilled and honored I let him use it, I'll never forget that. What book are you reading now? Currently - aside from the millions of art history texts for school - I’m reading "The Dark Side Of Innocence" by Terri Cheney. I love memoirs, and can barely read fiction anymore. Can you describe your personal (fashion) style? describe what you are wearing. I'd say I dress boyish, but stylish. I'm all about comfort and wearing things a bit loose. I live in my high waisted jeans and chunky knits. Working in retail, I have a love for clothes and fashion but I don't shape my day around what I'm wearing. I will admit I love dressing up for an occasion and I often spend a ridiculous amount of time on makeup due to my obsession with lipstick. I think that's everything! Oh...I also love tattoos. Haha! What do you love about tattoos?! I have 6 tattoos. Actually, 7 as of Wednesday. All of which celebrate little memories and reminders of my life so far. I'm sure someday I'll have a full sleeve (or more). I find tattooing to be such an impressive art form. I love talking to tattoo artists about their experiences and why they got into it. I think, if I could draw, it's a career I would've chased after. What does a Visual Arts Coordinator do for the fringe festival? Last festival - this past July - I helped organize 14 artists for the Fringe and worked with them before the festival for logistics, meetings, expectations etc. I then helped on site everyday with setup and teardown of their tents and art objects. Can you give me some info about The Creation Lab? The fringe has asked me to continue there during the year with the creation lab - the lab consists of 2 bright and beautiful spaces that anyone can rent for extremely reasonable pricing for rehearsal, work space, filming, mini art show - whatever they want. so I'll be learning more about the business side of things this year and also helping with the Fringe's January festival Next Stage, then straight into summer again for the main event. all of these details are online www.fringetoronto.com. We're located at bloor/bathurst at 720 bathurst on the 4th floor. Where can people view your work/get in touch with you? As of now I only have a Flickr page www.flickr.com/intrachelle but email is the best way to get a hold of me: sabourinrachelle AT gmail DOT com.