Conversations at the Edge

Naomi Uman in person!
Naomi Uman:
The Ukrainian Time Machine
2008, Naomi Uman, Ukraine, ca. 70 min.

In 2006, experimental filmmaker Naomi Uman retraced her great grandparents’ emigration from Eastern Europe in reverse, settling in the tiny village of Legedzine, Ukraine, where she still lives today. The result of her adventures is the quietly picaresque quintet of 16mm films, The Ukrainian Time Machine. In capturing the joys and hardships of her neighbors’ centuries-old way of life-- traditions that are eroding with the encroaching pressures of modernity--Uman creates a new kind of living history, fresh with curiosity and verve. In this evening’s program, Uman will present Unnamed Film, her keen documentary about life in Legedzine, cataloging its inhabitants’ various strategies of labor and resourcefulness necessary for survival; Kalendar, a poetic collection of shots, one for each month of an entire year; and Coda, a black-and-white epilogue encapsulating the themes of the series as a whole. 16mm. (Kelly Shindler)

Director Naomi Uman will be present for audience discussion.

On the Third Planet from the Sun:
The Films of Pavel Medvedev
2003-8, Pavel Medvedev, Russia, ca. 100 min.

The documentaries of Pavel Medvedev are haunting portraits of some of post-Soviet Russia’s most isolated people and places. This rare screening presents four different facets of Medvedev’s remarkable oeuvre. Vacation in November (2002) follows Russian miners in the tundra. On a forced furlough from their regular jobs, they embark on an annual massive reindeer slaughter to supplement their income. On the Third Planet from the Sun (2006) studies life in the country’s resource-rich Arkhangelsk region, where inhabitants forage for scrap metal left behind from H-bomb testing. Wedding of Silence (2003) depicts a deaf community in St. Petersburg, juxtaposing an expressive wedding celebration with the din of a foundry where many work. Following a different kind of party, Medvedev's The Unseen (2007) captures the behind-the-scenes dinners and rituals of the 2006 G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, along with their corresponding impact on Russian citizens. Russian with English subtitles. 35mm and Beta SP video. (Kelly Shindler)

Emily Wardill in person!
Everything I Tell You Now Is True:
The Short Films of Emily Wardill
2005-8, Emily Wardill, UK, ca. 60 min.

The films of British artist Emily Wardill are brilliant cinematic labyrinths. Visually striking and playfully rigorous, they draw upon an array of sources-- underground theater, psychoanalytic case studies, the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and Jacques Rancière, and even the game logic of Nintendo Wii--to pose fundamental questions about vision, representation, and media and their role in how we come to know ourselves. Wardill has been the recipient of much recent critical acclaim: Tate Modern film curator Stuart Comer rated her film THE DIAMOND (DESCARTES' DAUGHTER) (2008) as one of his top ten picks of 2008 and The Guardian newspaper deemed her its "artist of the week." In this special program, Wardill presents five of her short films, all of which are Chicago premieres: BORN WINGED ANIMALS AND HONEY GATHERERS OF THE SOUL (2005), BASKING IN WHAT FEELS LIKE 'AN OCEAN OF GRACE' I SOON REALISE THAT I'M NOT LOOKING AT IT, BUT RATHER I AM IT, RECOGNISING MYSELF (2006), BEN (2007), SICK SERENA AND DREGS AND WRECK AND WRECK (2007), and THE DIAMOND (DESCARTES' DAUGHTER). Co-presented by CATE and Refracted Lens, a Chicago-based film series dedicated to showcasing emerging and underrepresented artists. 16mm. (Kelly Shindler)

Director Emily Wardill will be present for audience discussion

Ryan Trecartin in person!
Ryan Trecartin: New Work
2009, Ryan Trecartin, USA, ca. 90 min.

"Both in form and in function, Ryan Trecartin's video practice advances understandings of post-millennial technology, narrative, and identity, while also propelling these matters as expressive mediums. His work depicts worlds where consumer culture and interactive systems are amplified to absurd or nihilistic proportions and characters circuitously strive to find agency and meaning in their lives. The combination of assaultive, nearly impenetrable avant-garde logics and equally outlandish virtuoso uses of color, form, drama, and montage produces a sublime, stream-of-consciousness effect that feels bewilderingly true to life" (Kevin McGarry). This evening, as part of a special two-part presentation organized by the Visiting Artists Program and Conversations at the Edge, Trecartin will introduce two pieces from his latest project, Trill-ogy Comp (2009-10): SIBLING TOPICS (SECTION A) (2009) and P.OPULAR S.KY (SECTION ISH) (2009). Trecartin will give an overview of his practice on April 14 at 6:00 pm in the SAIC Columbus Auditorium.

Director Ryan Trecartin will be present for audience discussion