“My paintings are done by a filmmaker, my sculpture by a musician, my films by a painter, my music by a filmmaker, my paintings by a sculptor, my sculpture by a filmmaker, my films by a musician, my music by a sculptor… who sometimes all work together.” — Michael Snow, 1967

This month’s screening sees AFW commemorate Canadian artist and filmmaker Michael Snow with a special 16mm presentation of his iconic structural film from 1967, ‘Wavelength’. An artist working across film, visual art, sculpture and music, Snow has been described as "the dean of structural filmmakers" (Adams Sitney), and is undoubtedly one of the most influential experimental filmmakers of the 20th century. He died in January this year aged 94.

Wavelength dir. Michael Snow

45 mins, 1967, 16mm

The basic premise of the work is that a camera placed in a fixed position inside some unknown apartment and throughout the 45 min duration of the film slowly zooms in on a photo of waves on the other side of the room. Throughout this singular zoom there are many other things that happen - both in terms of action or diegetic information happening within the room (although to say the film even has a narrative is itself unclear) as well as formally with various changes in light, texture and framing which alienate the viewer from their physical understanding of the room.

ALSO SCREENS WITH AFW MEMBERS FILMS

Let the blind lead those who cannot see dir. Sebastian Vaccaris
6 mins, 2023, 16mm

A blind man in a dark room melts into celluloid, feeling with his hands the messy layers of processed reality.
‘Let the blind lead those who cannot see'
Consisting of four different processing methods, a triple pack of film types and post massaged via hands passed through algorithms - 16mm

Tiny Collisions dir. Richard Tuohy
10 mins, 2022, 16mm

A staccato study of street level action and inter-action. People and vehicles on everyday journeys are atomised into coursing fragments of light, shadow, angle and inertia, reiterating and disassembling the creation of motion out of still frames at the heart of cinema. Filmed in ten cities on four continents.

$10 tickets on the door.

16mm projection.

We respectfully acknowledge that the land on which AFW holds its screenings was never ceded by the Kulin Nation.