A classic experimental 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.
These two films reflect on the culture of consumerism with insightful humor. Robert Nelson’s Bleu Shut becomes participatory when the director and artistic collaborator and friend William T. Wiley play a guessing game with some rather ridiculously unassuming boat names. The experimental classic is paired with Jesse Mclean’s new work Curious Fantasies, a spoof on celebrity perfumes, consumer desires, and the absurdities of branding.
Screening right here for free beginning at 10 am (CDT) on March 23 until April 5.
Bleu Shut by Robert Nelson
A cinematic trick sets up a gameshow-like film, inviting viewers to participate. Nelson’s use of typography and titles destabilizes language and further deconstructs the conventions that viewers come to expect, showing ways that film constructs desire. Intercut with perfectly timed breaks featuring found footage and other comedic outtakes, Nelson’s film is a brilliant spoof on 20th century TV culture. 1970, 16mm transferred to digital, 33 min. Contains brief nudity.
Curious Fantasies by Jesse McLean
Give us your songs and your smells and we will give you everything. The rich get richer, everyone smells poorer. In McLean’s new short, the corruption of advertising and the language and imagery related to celebrity perfumes are a starting point to question the messages behind consumer desires. 2019, HD video, 8 min.
