Time and Essence: The Preserved Films of Coleen Fitzgibbon
COLEEN FITZGIBBON IN PERSON!
At last, the rediscovered and preserved films of American experimental filmmaker Coleen Fitzgibbon are wending their way north of the border following a two-year string of successful screenings in the U.S. Thanks to the efforts of the artist, in conjunction with filmmaker and preservationist Sandra Gibson, this exceptional body of work is being rediscovered by a new generation and, fortunately for us, in near-pristine prints which showcase the vibrancy of the work’s rigour and colour palette. Having studied with Owen Land and Stan Brakhage at the Art Institute of Chicago, Fitzgibbon belongs to the so-called second wave of Structuralist cinema. The films shown in this programme were all made within an intensive period from 1973-75 and demonstrate Fitzgibbon’s meticulous, even mathematical approach to image dissolution and disintegration, a tenet in line with the Minimalism of the day. Found Film Flashes and Time (which was recently included in MoMA’s Looking at Music exhibition) both use frame manipulation to rapturous effect. FM/TRCS is a molten work of abstraction that uses the subject of a woman’s domestic activities to explore the textures of the medium, as well as the threshold of both imagery and perception. Building up and sundering away in a sculpture-like process, the film’s abstract globules and buzzing soundtrack conspire in its entrancing mood. Internal Systems is a vast, yet minimalist study of the monochromatic frame, a sort of sublime systematic testing of film’s internal logic, its emulsive permutations and light sensitivities. The programme concludes with a lovely tribute by her friend Saul Levine. –Andrea Picard, Cinematheque Ontario
All films directed by Coleen Fitzgibbon and preserved by the artist, in conjunction with Sandra Gibson, unless otherwise indicated.
This screening is co-presented by The International Experimental Media Congress, taking place April 7-11, 2010 and hosted by The Images Festival. For more information please visit http://www.experimentalcongress.org
Director Coleen Fitzgibbon will join us to introduce our presentation of these films. The screenings will be followed by a Q&A.
FOUND FILM FLASHES
Director: Coleen Fitzgibbon
Year: 1973
Country: USA
Runtime: 3.25 minutes
Format: 16mm
FM/TRCS
Director: Coleen Fitzgibbon
Year: 1974
Country: USA
Runtime: 11 minutes
Format: 16mm colour
TIME
Director: Coleen Fitzgibbon
Year: 1975
Country: USA
Runtime: 8 minutes
Format: 16mm black&white
INTERNAL SYSTEMS
Director: Coleen Fitzgibbon
Year: 1974/75
Country: USA
Runtime: 45 minutes
Format: 16mm colour
NOTE TO COLLEEN
Director: Saul Levine
Year: 1974
Country: USA
Runtime: 5 minutes
Format: 16mm black&white
*16mm blow-up restoration of Saul Levine’s film from an 8mm film by the National Film Preservation Foundation, Anthology Film Archives and BB Optics.
Total running time: 74 minutes
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- Images Festival / Cinematheque Ontario. Toronto, Canada. March, 2010. Time and Essence: The Preserved Films of Coleen Fitzgibbon. Curated by Andrea Picard.
http://www.imagesfestival.com/calendar.php?event_id=413&month=n