Harry Smith’s Experimental Films
Sun, Oct 22, 2023
3 pm
Floor 3, Theater
Harry Smith began making experimental animations in the late 1940s in Berkeley, California, and by the 1960s was recognized as a central figure in American avant-garde cinema. This screening spotlights a selection of his most dazzling short films that employ a variety of analogue techniques to explore color, abstraction, rhythm, and psychedelia.
This screening is followed by a conversation between John Klacsmann, archivist and film restorationist, Anthology Film Archives, and Andrew Lampert, artist and curator, about Smith’s work as a filmmaker, his unique process, and his importance within the history of experimental cinema.
Program:
Early Abstractions [Film Nos. 1-5, 7, 10], c. 1946-1957, 23 minutes.
Restored by Anthology Film Archives.
Film No. 11: Mirror Animations, c. 1957, 4 minutes.
Restored by Anthology Film Archives.
Film No. 15 (Untitled animation of Seminole patchwork patterns), c. 1965-66, 10 minutes.
Restored by Anthology Film Archives.
Film No. 16: Oz: The Tin Woodman’s Dream, 1967, 15 minutes.
Restored by Anthology Film Archives and The Film Foundation with funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
Plus never-before-seen screen tests and outtakes from Film No. 16.
Public programs for Fragments of a Faith Forgotten: The Art of Harry Smith developed in consultation with Andrew Lampert.
The Susan and John Hess Family Theater is equipped with an induction loop and infrared assistive listening system. Accessible seating is available.
Live captioning will be available online and in-person for this event. If you need captions in a separate browser window or on your own mobile device, please email accessfeedback@whitney.org for StreamText link.
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