August 7th, 2009. 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.
The Museum of Contemporary Art will present Optic Nerve XI, its annual festival of short films and videos by some of the most innovative artists in South Florida, on Friday, August 7th, 2009.
The 15 films, all under 5 minutes, were chosen from an open call for submissions and represent a variety of genres in narrative and non-linear filmmaking, from the comedic to the abstract. The films will be screened at 7:00 p.m. and again at 9:00 p.m. The jury that selected the films from the more than 50 submissions was comprised of Robert Parente, City of Miami Arts & Entertainment Council; Anthony Allegro, Professor, Motion Pictures and Barry Gordon, School of Entertainment and Design Technology, Miami Dade College.
Optic Nerve XI Films
131 Projects: Plus. This animated film explores seven instances in which the plus sign symbol is presented in different situations, always returning to its original form. The concept of intricacy through simplicity is echoed in the score, which consists of custom sounds by David Marin.
Gustavo Cervantes: The Hilltop Town. The story of two unfortunate children in a town for the rich and prosperous who prove to be the wealthiest at heart on the day their perfect town meets its tragic end.
Luis Crump: Concrete Poems. This work is composed of three poems, each consisting of a common phrase such as “Emergency exit only” performed by three actors and edited so that the component words take on new meaning.
Cynthia Cruz: One Summer Morning. A girl slaps herself in slow motion while the sound of a beautiful summer’s day plays in the background.
Dee Hood: 0Fish0. This colorful fast-paced video is a journey through the information landscape where real and virtual realities slip in and out of focus. The impact of technology on “information” in contemporary culture through the use of text and imagery as the video itself becomes yet another layer adding to the content.
m lafille: Marie Josée, A hospitalized aging opera singer recounts her love stories, searching for them in memories and song.
Cristina Molina, Silky Smooth Hair Relaxer. This stop-motion video serves as commentary on the ills of advertising and the over-exaggerated vanity of women by taking a darkly comedic approach to a product that promises beauty but instead brings demise. Wow! Whitening Strips (Miss Everything). A satire of beauty pageants and the cosmetic industry, this film portrays three beauties – Miss America, Miss Universe and Miss World – as they compete for the title of “Miss Everything.”
Christina Pettersson, Legend. Inspired by the 1985 film of the same title, this artist uses sound and subtitles to recount her own story of a woman and a unicorn that pass through tumultuous maelstroms to emerge unscathed in a final burst of romance and light.
Ronnie Rivera & Christina Felisgrau, Construct. This film examines the importance of myth and its unifying effect on society.
Roberto Max Salas, Anthropid Abashments, A conceptual photo and video session in which two women explore the meaning of life. They patiently wait for death to arrive in a room filled with memories from their past, and explore the myth of reincarnation.
Jordon Service, Meter. This study of the everyday parking meter placed in absurd settings is a critique of systems in which top level decisions are disconnected to actual ground level application.
Studio El Condor, Planktonic Boundaries Beyond the Mind. A marine scientist analyzes his own emotional detachment from people through preserved specimens under his microscope.
TM Sisters, She Said As Long As You Run With Me. This digital video shows a girl roller-skating along the beach, while confronted by various men who approach her for different reasons. Emotions, colors and energies intersect as she skates on her path.
Juan Carlos Zaldivar, Marti and I. A reinterpretation of a political icon that questions the machismo associated with historical figures.
Museum of Contemporary Art
770 NE 125th Street
North Miami, FL 33161
305.893.6211
www.mocanomi.org
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