[Frameworks] 2. Re: What are the 3 Essential Films that you would show Artists on their first foray into the Moving Image Realm ?

[Andy Ditzler]

Without getting into questions of "essential," I would say that this is not
my experience at all with screening Wavelength. My students - definitely
curious and excited people - generally loved watching it, and there was
much productive discussion. I've also shown it publicly in my film series
on several occasions, again with good results and much discussion afterward
(though of course the reactions were not uniformly positive). You see it as
mid-century high modernism (thus presumably representing a fixed, "major"
tradition), whereas I see it as a film particularly vulnerable to attacks
based precisely upon its *difference*, which is perhaps one reason I'm
sympathetic to it. In any case, there's no reason that screenings of this
film cannot be deeply sensuous and engaging experiences, especially for
artists.

Best,

Andy Ditzler

On Sun, Mar 29, 2015 at 9:11 AM, Sasha Waters Freyer <swfreyer at vcu.edu>
wrote:

>
>
> If you want to take a group of curious, excited young artists and
> basically make them want to kill themselves, by all means, show them
> "Wavelength."  I call shenanigans on equating "essential" with mid-century
> high modernism which is but one of many 'major traditions.'  Another, more
> engaging legacy might be the fascinating intersections between art history,
> critical theory, politics and popular culture that coalesces and build in
> the '90-s and early 00s, exemplified in different but totally exciting and
> unique ways by:
>
> "It Wasn't Love" - Sadie Benning
> "November" - Hito Steyerl
> "A Little Death" - Sam Taylor-Wood
>
> So much richness here!  Relationships between realism and (high/post)
> modernism; identity/queer performance pre-youtube/selfie era; the explosion
> of new tech in the 90s on and their formal implications; post-9/11
> everything; the 'Celebrity-artist' career trajectory of STW, etc., etc,
> etc....
>
>
> Sasha
>
>
>
>>
>
>
> --
> ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡
>
> Sasha Waters Freyer
> Chair, Department of Photography & Film
> VCU School of the Arts
> 325 N. Harrison St. / PO Box 843088
> Richmond, VA 23284
>
> tel. 804.828.2162
> email: swfreyer at vcu.edu
> http://www.arts.vcu.edu/photofilm/
>
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>


-- 

Andy Ditzler
www.filmlove.org
www.johnq.org
Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts, Emory University
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