Landscape

Speaking of Abstraction: A Universal Language

January 1999 •English

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, abstraction - that most quintessentially modernist innovation - maintains a peculiarly contradictory position. Used, on one hand, by post-modernist artists as just one more quotable style amongst many, it is on the other hand still considered an elitist or hermetic language by audiences intimidated by its lack of recognizable subject matter. Yet ultimately, abstraction continues to be a viable creative path for contemporary artists of all generations, many of whom embrace it as the most inclusive and fundamentally resonant of artistic languages. Filmed at the artists' studios, the Dia Center for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Museum during their exhibition, "Abstraction in the Twentieth Century."

Garbage

January 1984 •English

This footage is almost entirely black, save for a few shots possibly showing electric poles outside.

Michigan

January 1976 •English

Farm work and nature.

Bowl

January 1976 •English

USPS workers go bowling.

Windows

January 1984 •English

Contrasting environments, in and outside.

Moving

January 1981 •English

Elam records several men moving boxes and furniture as they track across her backyard.

Tai Chi II

January 1975 •English

“Tai Chi II,” similarly to Elam’s “Tai Chi Bowling” and “Tai Chi,” focuses on movement. Through a sequence of close-ups, Elam coyly records portions of several individuals practicing tai chi, primarily focusing on the practitioners’ extremities as they float about. Distinct from its affiliates, “Tai Chi II” finds the action taking place outside.

Sprockets

January 1976 •English

Sprocket holes moving across the screen.

BC

Invalid date •English

Elam turns in place while filming nature.

New York Portrait

June 1990 •English

Peter Hutton's New York trilogy. An act of urban archaeology, a chronicle of indelible impressions of the city.

The Beaver

January 1935 •English

Documentary that details the daily habits of beavers and their interaction with the ecosystem at large. Filmed mostly in Digby County, Nova Scotia.

Symptoms in Schizophrenia

January 1938 •English

Shows masked mental patients enacting various schizophrenic symptoms as they were understood at the time. A disturbing film that raises questions about the condition and treatment of its subjects. (archive.org) “Abstract: This film describes and demonstrates four types of schizophrenia. Filmed at various New York institutions, it shows patients singly and grouped in large, outside recreational areas. Some patients are blindfolded. Symptoms shown include: social apathy, delusions, hallucinations, hebephrenic reactions, cerea flexibilitas, rigidity, motor stereotypes, posturing, and echopraxia.” (Guide to Mental Health Motion Pictures)

Disabuse

Invalid date •English

Abstract short.

Window

December 1976 •English

"This is taking a Super 8mm camera around with me wherever I go and I'm very interested in windows at this time of travel, and I'm trying to make a variety of different statements about the concept of window." - S.B.

The Creation Of Life

January 1948 •English

This silent film from 1948 "The Creation of Life" briefly demonstrates how a fetus forms and graphically shows different types of births. It was made by Sherwood Picture Corp., and may have been sold both to schools and professional organizations for medical education, and to the public for shock value. (Several similar birth films were sold in this era through home catalogs and photography shops.) Summary: By means of diagrams, conceptions and pregnancy are explained. Views of various methods of delivery are shown. Created by: T. Marc Sherwood

Scrap

January 2017 •English

A metallic cacophony resounds as Eric hunts for, and labours through, abandoned scrap. The sun beats down as his pick-up truck rumbles through the day.

INFRASTRATA

May 2024 •English

Amongst the contemplative static shots of decaying architecture weaves an abstract narrative unveiling the life-cycle of a higher perception, too large to perceive. Shot at various sites across south-east England, INFRASTRATA is a study on the concept of super-organisms, and the relationship between structure and nature.

Belezas Brasileiras

March 1927 •Portuguese

The Screen Tests of Cosmotropia de Xam

October 2014 •English

THE SCREEN TESTS OF COSMOTROPIA DE XAM A collection of 12 screen tests from all over the world, based on a direction sheet of Cosmotropia de Xam. Starring: Elzabeth Hart of Psychic Ills, How I Quit Crack and Aura, Carmen Incarnadine, Shivabel, Black Madeleine, Jenni Hensler, Agnes Pándy, Suzy Poling, Omebi, Sarah Toon and Owleyes, Dania Myers, ∆AIMON

Rodez

November 2017 •

An exploration of Rodez Cathedral and its stained glass windows: praying figures and scientific imagery. A study on color, repetition and flickering consisting of 292 photographs.