Output details

Film in Space

This exhibition foregrounds work of significant artists from the 1970s (Nicolson, Farrer) whose medium of 16mm film has received restricted exposure. Established works of live 16mm expanded cinema (Filmaktion, Welsby, Sherwin) were shown in their originating medium, adapted to the spaces of the gallery. These were placed alongside contemporary developments in the field (Hamlyn) including site-specific commissions (Reynolds).

The exhibition was intended as a major contribution to the field of expanded cinema at a time of increased debate (BFI /Tate conferences 2010/2011; Expanded Cinema: Film, Art, Performance, pub. Tate 2011), and attempted to reposition expanded cinema within the gallery context. Building on the work of post-digital film exhibitions (Into the Light, Whitney Museum, New York 2001; X-Screen, MUMOK, Vienna 2004), the exhibition investigated formal and aesthetic possibilities for expanded cinema as an art form adapted or designed for the spaces of the gallery. The exhibition attempted to create pedagogic beauty in the open display of materials of film, in order to demonstrate the viability of 16mm film exhibition at a time of critical reaction to digital hegemony (FILM, Dean, Tate 2011).

Seven gallery rooms were each given specific emphasis (material practice, sound/film, text/film), demonstrating breadth and complexity of the field. Three rooms underwent changeovers mid-exhibition to bring in further works and viewers. In addition, interactive ‘hands-on’ displays stressed physical materiality of film/projection, providing opportunity for insights into the moving image to a ‘post-internet’ generation.

The exhibition included an illustrated publication (File Note #75) to foreground the working processes of participating artists, and series of weekly talks/live presentations (Rees, Henderson, Nicolson).

The output is presented via portfolio, which should be viewed in order to gain a proper understanding of the research.