Warsaw palm tree

Ice in Goławice

Film in Goławice

Two heads in pencil

Flaherty Seminar 2016

At this year's Flaherty Seminar which took place from June 18-24 at Colgate University in upstate New York the theme was "play". We watched experimental and documentary films followed by intensive discussion and a week of togetherness. The filmmakers featured and who presented work, all of whom were present at the seminar are the following:

Saul Levine
Joaquim Pinto
Naomi Kawase
Luis Ospina
Ute Aurand
Ana Vaz
Billy Woodberry
Luke Fowler
Brigid McCaffrey
Kidlat Tahimik

My favourite films were the following:

Joaquim Pinto, "What Now, Remind Me"

Luis Ospina, "Oiga vea!", "It all started at the end"

Saul Levine, "Dream Story"

Billy Woodberry "Bless Their Little Hearts"

Ana Vaz, "Occidente"

Brigid McCaffrey, "Paradise Springs"

Some questions and themes that arose include:

Who's right is it to represent people different from themselves?

What are the implications related to the self-indulgence involved in autobiographical films?

The importance of friendship and collaboration 

The representation of family members vs those you develop a relationship with through film

Landscape and portraits in film 

Modernism Made Monumental, University of Georgia

I am excited and honoured to announce that I will be giving a paper at the Modernism Made Monumental symposium at the University of Georgia this coming October in conjunction with the exhibition "Icon of Modernism: Representing the Brooklyn Bridge, 1883–1950", on view at the Georgia Museum of Art September 17–December 11, 2016.

https://georgiamuseum.org/art/exhibitions/upcoming/icon-of-modernism-representing-the-brooklyn-bridge-18831950

My paper will discuss the potential for horizontal buildings to be monumental within modernism and will do so by looking at two buildings by Mies van der Rohe: the Farnsworth House (built in 1951) in Plano, Illinois and the Seagram building, a New York skyscraper (1958).

Orlando

I am very horrified and affected by what happened in Orlando this week. I think many young people who work and live within liberal or artistic communities can't help but feel that "it could have been me". I don't think I can say anything of intelligence really about this because the situation is more emotional than anything. Despite feeling that there are safe spaces (and having been in and felt safe in such spaces myself with dear friends) for expressions of love and sexual fluidity or exploration, what happened in Orlando goes to show how much work remains to be done. This is particularly frightening with the upcoming American elections and with Trump shockingly and frighteningly on the horizon as a real candidate for president.

A couple of years ago when I was in Warsaw, there was a rainbow arc in the centre of the city made of coloured paper which was burned during my visit. I was deeply upset by this but chalked it up to cultural difference and thought that Poland really had to catch up in this regard. Having such a massacre happen in the States was a deep reminder of how much everyone around the globe needs to seriously take a look at their capacity for hatred and tendency to fear those who are different from them as threats to their own way of life. Moreover, it is baffling that some Republicans are using this as an opportunity to promote gun ownership for self-defence.

I guess support now and facing this head on is what needs to happen, especially because what happened seems so entirely unbelievable.