#experimenta2014

Erika Balsom's "Every Which Way" considers the diversity of forms and various modes of production encompassed in the 2014 Experimenta programme. Read her coverage of the programme at the above link.

Experimenta 2014 came to an exciting close with the third instalment of Steve Reinke's Final Thoughts series, Rib Gets in the Way. If you missed the screening, the video, along with several other of Reinke's works, can be viewed here.

Experimenta Exclusive Filmmaker Julia Dogra-Brazell discusses reductive filmmaking, voice and methodology in this interview with artist and writer Elaine Smollin (link above).  Dogra-Brazell screened two films from her "point" series at this year's Experimenta. Read more about her approach to this series of works and revisit her film From A to B here.

A guest speaker was invited to lead a discussion with the Experimenta Seminar participants each day during the course of the five-day seminar. On Saturday, following the screening of his film Afsan's Long Day (The Young Man Was, Part 2) the previous evening, artist Naeem Mohaiemen presented several of his former films to illustrate the trajectory of his practice.  The first video Mohaiemen presented was Patriot Story, a work by the New York-based artist collective he co-founded entitled Visible Collective. The film responds to the performances of patriotism pervading post-9/11 New York. With the aim of moving away from a reactionary mode of production towards a slower and more nuanced consideration of the current political climate, Mohaiemen's practice began to look back at moments in history ripe for re-examination. The Seminar participants were invited to engage with a selected text from Walter Benjamin's "Theses on the Philosophy of History" in relation to Mohaimen's The Young Man Was project. For further viewing, a selection of Mohaiemen's videos can be accessed on his vimeo page. 

Programmer Benjamin Cook in conversation with filmmaker Kathryn Elkin about her film Mutatis Mutandis at the final screening of Experimenta 2014

Experimenta Exclusive Ruth Maclennan has written a short piece on the "call of North"—what initially drew her to northern Russia and how various calls figure in her film. Call of North screens today at 1:45 PM at BFI NFT3 as part of the Haunted Space programme.

Experimenta Exclusive Sylvia Schedelbauer discusses the significance of the fragment and ambiguity to her filmmaking practice in this short interview. Schedelbauer's Sea of Vapors screens on Sunday 19 October, 1:45 PM at BFI NFT3 as part of the Imitations of Life programme.

Experimenta Exclusive Priya Sen discusses her film Noon Day Dispensary in this short interview. The film screens as part of the Subjective Documents programme on Saturday 18 October, 4:00 PM at BFI NFT3.