Collective Memory: A Contemporary Film Series

Experience the magic of the moving image through a selection of works by Gardner Museum Artists-in-Residence, Neighborhood Salon Luminaries, and local filmmakers. Ranging in length from just a few minutes to almost an hour, these works explore a range of historical, political, social, and conceptual topics from both an artistic and documentary viewpoint.

Film Schedule | 12–4:30 PM

Carla Fernandez | 12–12:30 PM | 3–5 minutes each

This series of art films, produced by Carla Fernández and Ramiro Chavez with the Gardner, documents the traditional methods of textile-making in Mexico.

Weaving on Backstrap Loom: From the Town of San Juan Cancuc, Chiapas, Mexico
Weaving Rebozos on Counterbalance Loom: From the Towns of Tenancingo, State of Mexico, Mexico
Hand Machine Embroidering: Fro the Town of Izamal, Yucatan, Mexico
Hand Knotting: From the Town of Calkini, Campeche, Mexico
Wood Carving/Hot Chocolate Whisks: From the Town of Santa Maria Rayon, State of Mexico, Mexico
Weaving on Backstrap Loom: From the Town of Aldama, Chiapas, Mexico
Leather Fretwork from Mexico City
Hand Embroidering: From the Towns of Chenalho and Santa Maria Chiapas, Mexico

No Show, 2004 | 24 minutes
Melvin Moti | 12:30–1 PM, introduced by Pieranna Cavalchini, Tom and Lisa Blumenthal Curator of Contemporary Art

In 1943 a young museum guide offered a tour of the Hermitage Museum to Soviet soldiers. The paintings had been removed in an effort to save them from Nazi plundering, so the guide conducted the tour by memory. Moti’s film re-creates this historic moment: in voiceover, a museum guide offers a similar tour as the image on the screen shows a gallery full of empty frames. Speaking in Russian with English subtitles, the guide describes works by Rembrandt and Fra Angelico, among others.

Greeting Committee Social Performance, 2012 | 3 minutes each
Ana Prvački | 1–1:30 PM

Etiquette is often considered frivolous and decorative, bringing up discomforts about class, gender, and power. The artist thinks we can re-frame the term so that it is about doing our best to treat others with dignity. Even the worst faux pas can be an occasion to learn and bond.

The Minotaur Trilogy, 2013-2015 | 34 minutes
Mary Reid Kelley, in collaboration with Patrick Kelley | 1:30–2:30 PM, introduced by Pieranna Cavalchini and followed by a talk with Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley

A mix of Greek cartoon, slapstick comedy, and punning wordplay, Reid Kelley's video trilogy, produced in collaboration with Patrick Kelley, explores the Greek myth of the Minotaur and, through it, the present-day roles of women, sexuality, language, and art historical tropes.

Travels with Isabella: Travel Scrapbooks 1883/2008 | 27 minutes
Luisa Rabbia | 2:30–3:30 PM, introduced by Pieranna Cavalchini and followed by a talk with the artist

During her residency at the Museum in 2007–08, Rabbia studied photographs from one of Isabella’s albums documenting her travels in China in 1883. Using these archival materials, as well as her own fantastical drawings of roots and trees, the artist created a video inspired by an American’s view of imperial China—but that also evokes an intimate inner space, located somewhere between the rational world and the dream world.

Empyrean, 2006 | 7 minutes
Cliff Evans | 3:30–4:30 PM

Cliff Evans’s video Empyrean is a photomontage animation of thousands of images mined from the Internet. The form of this digital polyptych resembles a 15th-century Northern European altarpiece, while its underlying strategies and methodologies are borrowed from contemporary advertising narratives.

Gust of Wind, 2008 | 30 minutes
Zhang Peili | 4–4:30 PM

The film Gust of Wind shows the staged destruction of a bourgeois living room. In its original manifestation, it was screened as a five-channel projection that served as a backdrop for remnants of the destroyed set, which viewers could walk around and experience firsthand.

Tickets are required and include Museum admission.

Adults $15, seniors $12, students $10, free for members and children 17 and under.

• Online, by clicking the TICKETS button above*
• By calling the box office at 617 278 5156, Wednesday-Monday, 10 am-4 pm*
• In person: Visit the Museum and purchase at the door, Wednesday-Monday, 11 am-4:30 pm

*Handling charges apply to these orders