Sonic Textures, Shattered Scenes

A selection of landmark films by Black artists working in independent cinema in the 1970s-90s.

This season showcases truly groundbreaking cinema by artists and thinkers that expanded the ways the Black American experience could be represented, examined, and cherished. These are experimental, personal, and radical films by academics, musicians, poets, writers, actors, photographers, and visual artists who changed cinema forever. In turns thrilling, cerebral, and sensuous, this diverse programme of films spanning various genres are united by invoking the richness of the lives we live. In recent years many of these previously-overlooked films have been restored, and even re-cut, enabling new generations to see these films as they were originally intended.

Please note that many of the films in this season reflect historical attitudes that audiences may find outdated and offensive.

The season title is taken from the article Cosmic Freeze Frames: A Poetics of Bill Gunn by Carlos Valladares on gagosian.com (Spring 2021)

Film

6.30pm £6 (or £30 for season ticket)

Pica, alarmed by the rate at which the young Black men around her are dying, attempts to preserve their existence in Polaroids for an art project as she believes they are “endangered species”. On the way she meets Tobi, a woman in an abusive relationship who dresses in men's clothes to hide herself in plain sight. Smith renders themes of love, heartbreak, art, and violence in sumptuous, saturated Californian hues, crafting both a rare cinematic celebration of Black female creativity and a moving elegy for a generation of lost African American men.

Cauleen Smith is a filmmaker and multimedia visual artist. Her experimental work addresses African-American identity and, more specifically, the issues facing contemporary Black women. She has been associated with the Afrofuturist movement and her work has been inspired by the likes of Alice Coltrane and spiritual practices. Smith is currently a professor in the Department of Art at the University of California.

The film was restored in 4K by the Criterion Collection, Janus Films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®, supervised by director Cauleen Smith. Screening Courtesy of T A P E Collective.

Access

This event is inclusive for wheelchair users; our building is wheelchair accessible with lift access to all floors. If you require a wheelchair space, please email info@nottinghamcontemporary.org or phone 0115 948 9750 so we can ensure a space is set up for you.

If you require a free ticket for a carer, please contact us using the details above to arrange this.

This event will take place in The Space. Find information about getting here, our building access and facilities by clicking here.

If you have any questions around access or have specific access requirements we can accommodate, please get in touch with us by emailing info@nottinghamcontemporary.org or phoning 0115 948 9750.