‘Annihilation’ author VanderMeer gives talk, opens art show with ECU artist Eagle
Author Jeff VanderMeer told an East Carolina University crowd that he was happy to gain new readers of his “Southern Reach” books when the 2018 film “Annihilation,” inspired by his work, was released.
A series of self portraits of ECU drawing and painting associate professor Scott Eagle and portrayals of author Jeff VanderMeer created by Eagle are on display at Faulkner Gallery at Joyner Library.
After VanderMeer’s visit to campus last week, he may gain a few more. VanderMeer gave a talk about his books and the film and art that have been inspired by them, then joined ECU drawing and painting associate professor Scott Eagle to open an art exhibition featuring work from their decades of collaboration.
Some School of Art and Design students who attended the events were aware of the film, but not VanderMeer’s books.
Danielle Swart, finishing her sophomore year with a painting concentration, was not aware of VanderMeer, but described the pieces on display at the Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery at Joyner Library as “really cool.”
“I definitely want to read a lot more about it,” she said at the exhibition opening.
Eagle and VanderMeer discussed some of their collaborative work, the pieces on display, and answered questions during the exhibition’s opening reception. The art will be on display at Faulkner Gallery through August.
“The way we’ve been working is very organic, and it’s been going on for a long time,” Eagle said. He met VanderMeer in the 1990s through the writer’s wife, Ann, who edited a literature periodical called “The Silver Web.” Eagle recognized himself in the surreal themes, and sent some of his slides. The men started communicating by mail.
One of their first collaborations was a piece called “City of Saints and Madmen,” on display at Faulkner. Eagle created the piece in the early 2000s as cover art for VanderMeer’s book by the same name. VanderMeer said he loved Eagle’s work layering collage and painting, and his attention to detail. Their creative, collaborative work continued from there.
Author of the Southern Reach Trilogy Jeff VanderMeer speaks with ECU students after a book-to-film talk focused on his books and the move based on them, “Annihilation.”
“I think what really was amazing was how the idea of inspiration became blurred, so I would start sending him rough drafts of my novels and that would, I believe, spark things in his paintings,” VanderMeer said of Eagle. “He would send me photos of things in progress, and that would spark stuff in my own work to the point where I couldn’t necessarily tell you where one inspiration started and another began.”
In fact, VanderMeer said he found materials in Eagle’s files during this visit to use in his upcoming graphic novel/coffee table book centered on the “Southern Reach” series and Area X from the novels.
The art on display at Faulkner follows Eagle’s and VanderMeer’s collaborations, up to Eagle’s most recent illustrations. Not yet published, they will be included in a special edition of VanderMeer’s fourth “Southern Reach” novel, “Absolution,” first published in 2024.
“I really love the new ‘Absolution’ stuff,” VanderMeer said. “There’s so much visually in the novel that I think can be explored profitably in painting and designs.”
Swart asked how the two artists collaborate when they aren’t in person — Eagle in Greenville, and VanderMeer in northern Florida. The two laughed in agreement to VanderMeer’s suggestion of “fragmented emails,” plus Eagle’s habit of sending multiple iterations of art to VanderMeer for review and immersively reading VanderMeer’s books.
During VanderMeer’s book-to-film talk the day before, he mentioned the way he also shares his draft work with Eagle.
“I’ve cleverly fed him rough drafts of various things, hoping they would enter his brain,” VanderMeer said. “And they have, and they’ve come out in the form of amazing art.”
During the talk, VanderMeer gave insights into the process of following movie production as the inspirational book’s author, and shared photos from the film, fan art, and book covers from book translations, among other pieces.
Alex Clark, in his first year at ECU in art education, may be another one of VanderMeer’s new readers after the author’s visit.
“I heard of the movie, but didn’t know it was based on a book,” Clark said. “Now I’m kind of curious to check it out.”