Colorado-based nonprofit organization, Process Reversal, presents the third installment of its unique traveling film series — Frenkel Defects.
Hosted by SIGHT UNSEEN SCREENING SERIES
FRENKEL DEFECTS III
This recurring series aims to explore what it means to work in — and exhibit on — photochemical film today by examining works from artists operating specifically in this practice. Often, this involves getting their hands dirty at every stage of the process: from optical effects to photo-processing, editing and contact printing, optical sound recording, and even the creation of the photosensitive emulsion itself… As a result (and as suggested by the series’ title), creative aberrations make their way into the standard photochemical process, giving birth to a new, textural aesthetic that plays out on the surface of the film strip. More than ever before, film reminds us of its physicality, giving a new sense to Andrei Tarkovsky’s idea of “sculpting in time.”
For this year’s edition, two 70-minute programs of rare and diverse works, nearly all of which originate outside North America, will be presented in their intended 16mm format. Almost all of these films were produced with the help of “artist-run film labs” — collectively-run organizations dedicated to facilitating artists’ working in photochemical film — including LaborBerlin (Berlin), L’Abominable (Paris) and Filmwerkplaats (Rotterdam). While these and other organizations have been active in Europe for almost two decades, the trend is just beginning to emerge in North America, with experimental laboratories springing up in Boston, Oakland, Denver, New York, Vancouver, Montreal and elsewhere. Process Reversal, having secured abundant donations of lab equipment, hopes to continue assisting in the growth of these spaces by providing communities with the critical tools, knowledge and resources necessary to ensure the viability of the medium for all.
PROGRAM DETAILS
This year’s edition of Frenkel Defects features two separate programs, each approx. 75 minutes long. While both programs may not be shown at each tour stop due to time constraints, we will be doing our best to ensure a fair representation of all the works, whether that means showing both programs in one night, cycling the programs from venue to venue, or showing each program on separate dates.
Film selection and programming by Mariya Nikiforova (Balagan Films) and Kevin Rice (Process Reversal)…
