Bill Morrison
dal 13/10/2014 al 20/11/2014
Segnalato da
13/10/2014
Bill Morrison
The Museum of Modern Art - MoMA, New York
Compositions. The Film Program include three special screenings with live musical performances: Spark of Being (2010), Just Ancient Loops (2012) and All Vows (2013).
Film Program to Feature Three Live Musical Performances with Dave Douglas, Maya Beiser,
and Bill Frisell
Bill Morrison: Compositions
The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters
Filmmaker Bill Morrison, who has spent more than two decades
sourcing, and sometimes salvaging, archival footage in various states of decay and integrating them
into his highly original film works, will have a mid-career retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art
from October 14 through November 21, 2014.
Bill Morrison: Compositions, a comprehensive view
of Morrison's robust and diverse filmography, features more than two dozen shorts and feature films,
including three special screenings with live musical performances: Spark of Being (2010), a retelling of
the Frankenstein story, with composer Dave Douglas & Keystone; cellist Maya Beiser performing live
with a program of Morrison's short films, including Just Ancient Loops (2012) and All Vows (2013);
and a closing-night presentation of Morrison's epic retelling of the Mississippi River flood of 1927 in the
feature-length film The Great Flood (2013), with a searing score composed by Bill Frisell, and
featuring musicians Frisell, Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, and Kenny Wollesen. Morrison’s work—more than
30 projects to date—has been presented in museums, theaters, galleries, and concert halls around the
world. The exhibition includes two world premieres: Back to the Soil (2014), which revisits footage
shot by Morrison’s grandfather, James H. Becker, of Jewish farming colonies in Eastern Europe, and
Beyond Zero: 1914-1918 (2014), a composite film. A monthly changing selection of single-channel
work spanning Morrison’s career will be on view in the Museum’s Lauder Lobby from mid-September
through March 2015. Bill Morrison: Compositions is organized by Anne Morra, Associate Curator, and
Sally Berger, Assistant Curator, Department of Film.
Morrison uses the physical decomposition of 35mm nitrate film as the catalyst for his
existential narratives, creating work that investigates the tension between archives and memory. His
1996 film The Film of Her, for example, while not his first to use found footage, was the first to
concern itself with the direct metaphor of the fragility of motion picture film, using its inherent
predisposition towards chemical decomposition to express the ephemeral nature of love. Morrison's
work is concerned with creating original narratives in abstract form as well as retelling "lost"
narratives, such as his exploration of Britain's former colliery culture in The Miner's Hymns from 2011.
Morrison’s groundbreaking film Decasia (2002) consists of fragments of decades-old silent film
footage and decomposed nitrate film stock, sourced from multiple archives across the United States,
with a haunting symphonic score by Michael Gordon. The score was first performed live by the Basel
Sinfonietta in 2001. The film begins with the image of a whirling dervish, reels of film being
developed, and an explosive cloud of smoke, followed by beautiful patterns of nitrate decay thatreplicate and reveal the emerging patterns of figures, landscapes, and other scenes that lie
underneath. In 2013 Decasia was selected for addition to the National Film Registry at The Library of
Congress, becoming the first film from the 21st century to be named to the list that preserves works
of "great cultural, historic or aesthetic significance to the nation’s cinematic heritage."
The Great Flood (2013) is based on actual footage of the powerfully destructive Mississippi
river flood of 1927 and the revitalization of African American music that evolved as black southerners
migrated northward to escape its devastation. The flood levees broke in over 100 places and engulfed
thousands of square miles of land, bringing about the great migration of people left homeless and
jobless. Using documentary film footage, Morrison reveals how, despite the devastation, culture can
be revitalized. Guitarist Bill Frisell’s musical score and the live quartet embody the catastrophic events
with an illuminating performance.
MoMA has demonstrated a commitment to Morrison’s work since 1995, when he was the
subject of a Cineprobe, a MoMA exhibition devoted to experimental filmmakers. Since that time, MoMA
has collected eight of his works: Footprints (1992); The Death Train (1993); Nemo (1995); The Film
of Her (1996); Decasia (2002); The Mesmerist (2003); Light Is Calling (2004); and Outerborough
(2005). MoMA contributed decayed film materials to the production of Decasia, and on the occasion of
the opening of the newly expanded MoMA in 2004, Morrison was commissioned by the Department of
Film and Media to produce the short film Outerborough.
Press Contacts:
Sara Beth Walsh, (212) 708-9747 or sarabeth_walsh@moma.org
Margaret Doyle, (212) 408-6400 or margaret_doyle@moma.org
The Museum of Modern Art - MoMA
11 West 53 Street 212-New York USA