This week at Light Industry: Mouth Room + An Evening with Bidoun and Semiotexte

From: Thomas Beard (email suppressed)
Date: Mon Oct 19 2009 - 05:31:32 PDT


Light Industry
220 36th Street, 5th Floor
Brooklyn, New York
http://www.lightindustry.org

Mouth Room
Curated by James Richards
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 7:30pm

Taking Stuart Marshall¹s 1976 video Mouth Room as its namesake, this is a
programme of dysfunctional narrators and wayward voices. Often humorous or
poetic, these works present the voice as an improvised or experimental tool
for expression and communication. Most of the work has a performed,
spontaneous feel, with the voice playing a central role in the action, or
inaction. Similarly, most of the videos have an intimate quality, and share
a sense that what¹s happening is either private or ritualistic; voice and
word are performed in states of abstraction, poetry or song as a means to
control or be controlled by the action. - JR

o Joan, no..., Duncan Campbell, video, 2006, 12 mins
Photoshoot Tape 1 (James Richards re-edit), Kim Fielding, video, 2006, 2
mins
The Waltons, Anne McGuire, video, 1996, 7 mins
Joe Dimaggio 1,2,3, Anne McGuire, video, 1991, 11 mins
Amami Se Vuoi, Michael Curran, video, 1994, 5 mins
OM, John Smith, 16mm/video, 1986, 4 mins
Arcanum, Stuart Marshall, video, 1975, 7 mins
Mouth Room, Stuart Marshall, video, 1976, 6 mins
'Free The Voice', 1 min excerpt
Come to the Edge, Stephen Sutcliffe, video, 2003, 2 mins
Nils Bech Performing Can't Live If Living Is Without You, James Richards,
video, 2006, 3 mins

James Richards is an artist who lives and works in London. Working primarily
with found and re-edited material, projects have taken the form of videos,
curated programs, sculptures and live events. He recently made a solo
presentation at Tramway, Glasgow and participated in a number of group shows
including Naught To Sixty at the ICA, London and Generational: Younger Than
Jesus at the New Museum, New York. He is currently preparing material for a
solo show at Swallow Street, London and curating a series of screenings at
FormContent, London.

This program is supported by LUX, London.

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An Evening with Bidoun and Semiotexte
Presented by Abdellah Taïa
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 7:30pm
Bidoun and Semiotexte invite you to attend a screening of three rarely shown
works depicting outsiders' visions of Morocco, introduced by celebrated
novelist Abdellah Taïa, Morocco¹s first openly gay writer, who will discuss
the fascination that Moroccan literature, landscape and culture has exerted
over American expats and travelers.
³More than 50 percent of the Moroccan population is under the age of 25,²
Taïa remarked to Michael Luongo of Gay City News. ³I feel it is my
responsibility to be an example of freedom...I am not the only one who wants
to light the torch to revive the Moroccan dream. The Islamist parties¹ ideas
are gaining ground daily in Morocco and the Arab world. We have to destroy
this new fear that they are trying to instill in us.²
An American In Tangier, Mohamed Ulad, 1993, 27 mins
Leaving the US for Tangier, Morocco in 1947 when he was 37 years old, the
American writer Paul Bowles remained there until his death in 1999,
immersing himself in Moroccan culture. In addition to the classic novels he
is best known for, Bowles translated numerous stories by Moroccan
storytellers (Mohammed Mrabet, Larbi Layachi and others) and compiled two LP
recordings of traditional Moroccan music. An American in Tangier is an
intimate conversation in which Bowles reflects upon his life in Morocco.
Courtesy of Cinematheque de Tanger and LACMA.
Chronicles/Morocco, Michel Auder, 1971-71, 26 mins
Morocco 1972: The Real Chronicles with Viva, Michel Auder, 2002, 36 mins
Auder alternately refers to the Chronicles as video diaries or novels that
are Proustian in nature. Edited almost thirty years apart, Chronicles/
Morocco and Morocco 1972: The Real Chronicles with Viva together are a study
in Auder's approach to his memories. The footage is all from the same trip
that was a family vacation. Tension developed between the couple and Viva
left a few weeks into the trip, while Auder remained for several more
months. Auder subsequently edited Viva out of the first version. He also
misdated the trip by accident. It took place in 1972, not 1971. Considering
Chronicles/Morocco a construct of emotional convenience unfaithful to
memory, Auder decided to supplement the first version with a fuller account.
The two works feature almost entirely different footage. There are, however,
sections where one can see where Auder has omitted Viva. The star of the
1971 version is a young Moroccan Adonis who appoints himself tour-guide for
a group of Europeans, including Michel. The camera follows his charming
antics as he flaunts his nubile body and rather blunt but effective skills
as a hunter. The supplement, Morocco 1972, stars Viva and Alexandra,
continuing the theme of mother and child as it was poignantly established in
Auder's other diaries.
Tickets for all events - $7, available at door.  
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For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.