Virtual Screenings in May by Patrick Shen, Kahlil Joseph, and Amir George
Patrick Shen, The Dawn Chorus, 2020. Image courtesy Cinema Guild.
The Dawn Chorus
Directed by Patrick Shen
May 4–17, Free
Witness the first light and sounds of a new dawn breaking, as observed around the world one year ago. Patrick Shen’s cinematic meditation was created during the first COVID-19 lockdown by 35 artists from over 13 countries on May 3, 2020. With a soundtrack filled with environmental bird songs and ambient aural awakenings, the contemplative and collective portrait moves from darkness to light as a metaphor for hope and rebirth. 2020, United States, digital, nonverbal, 21 min.
Amir George, Shades of Shadows, 2015. Image courtesy of the Walker Art Center, Ruben/Bentson Moving Image Collection.
Collection Playlist: Black Mary & Shades of Shadows
May 18–31, Free
walkerart.org
A film from the Walker’s Ruben/Bentson Moving Image Collection is paired with a contemporary work that is not in the collection. The two works resonate with timeless, conceptual connections.
Two visionary, boundary-breaking artists find creative intersections, incorporating fragments from the past to offer contemporary spaces of sanctuary and freedom. Kahlil Joseph’s beautiful and haunting short film Black Mary screens with Amir George’s metaphysical collage film Shades of Shadows, recently acquired to the Walker’s Ruben/Bentson Moving Image Collection.
About the Films
Black Mary by Kahlil Joseph
Singer Alice Smith performs an intimate, expressive rendition of “I Put a Spell on You,” intercut with realistic city street scenes and soundscapes. Commissioned by the Tate for their exhibition Soul of a Nation, Joseph’s Black Mary is inspired by the photography of Harlem’s Roy DeCarava (1919–2009). 2018, digital, 6 min.
Shades of Shadows by Amir George
An Afrofuturist found-footage film, Shades of Shadows is George’s collaboration with psychedelic soul band the O’Mys, incorporating live action/animation to examine spiritual mysticism and ritual. Created solely with archival footage, the characters in the film seek to manifest a better self. 2015, digital, 6 min. Note: contains brief nudity.