Experimentations 13 | Natural History in Experimental and Artist Animation

It is impossible to overestimate the influence of scientific knowledge on artists’ investigations of the world, and nowhere is this influence more apparent than in contemporary moving image artists’ responses to the climate crisis. In the context of mass extinction and global climate change, the science of ecology underlies key issues currently facing humanity, and, thus, ecological considerations are understandably pervasive in contemporary moving image artworks. This program presents a selection of works that engage with aspects of ecology in the form of natural history, understood in the way that ecologist and conservation biologist Tom Fleischner (2021: 17) defines it: as “a practice of intentional, focused attentiveness and receptivity to the more-than-human world” that “creates a forum for interaction with Others, encouraging compassion and respect, helping us rediscover passion for the world and each other.

The program will be preceded by a panel at roughly 4:30 pm and complimentary dinner at roughly 5:30 pm! The panel will include Jane de Almeida, Lilly Husbands, Eames Demetrios, and Jheanelle Brown in person, and filmmakers to be announced on Zoom.

Presented as part of Los Angeles Filmforum's PST ART: Art & Science Collide public screening series Experimentations: Imag(In)ing Knowledge in Film.