Artists and filmmakers James N. Kienitz Wilkins and Andrew Norman Wilson present an evening of shorts, radio plays, and “movie-like-things.” Featuring monologuing narrators covering everything from the “Phil Collins” story to verbatim readings of Richard Scarry’s children’s books, the works often examine contemporary culture—whether the technologies of image production or the lives of the creative class—with a sly and incisive approach. In addition to short films, the evening will feature two short performances by Wilkins and Wilson.
Best Year Ever
In the children’s book Best Busy Year Ever by Richard Scarry, the hustle and bustle of a city is captured through colorful illustrations. Using his performative storytelling narration, Wilkins scans the book's pages with a 16mm camera and questions contemporary social issues with understated ironic wit.
Ode to Seekers
Initially conceived at Rockland Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg, New York—which contains the short film's abandoned children’s ward, navigated from a mosquito’s point of view—this looping video is based on the structure of John Keats' “Ode on a Grecian Urn.” Featuring three computer-generated seekers—a mosquito, a syringe, and an oil derrick—it suggests camaraderie, while also provoking fear that, like those digital objects, we may just be the puppets of algorithms, economic networks or genetic codes.
In The Air Tonight
Phil Collins’ 1981 triple platinum hit “In the Air Tonight” plays in sync with a narrator’s telling of an urban legend about the song's inspiration.
Real Property
The NYC-based filmmaker and artist shares a live performance of his audio essay that was first presented by Non-Fiction, a journal from London's Open City Documentary Festival.
Art Director: Remote Viewing
A live audio performance by filmmaker and visual artist Andrew Norman Wilson.
Please note: seating is limited. Box Office opens thirty minutes before the listed showtime. Online ticket sales will be honored up until 10 minutes after scheduled showtime. In-store ticket purchases are subject to availability, first-come, first-served. We do not operate a standby list.