Still from Stepping Into The Frame, 2022 / 10’ - Lauren Oliver
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CONNECTIVITY THROUGH CINEMA PRESENTS:
SPLIT ENDS AND OTHER STORIES
with film maker Lauren Oliver presenting in-person
presented by MONO NO AWARE
PROGRAM
PRIÈRE DE TOUCHER (PLEASE TOUCH)
(3 min, 2018, 16mm)
Prière de toucher (Please Touch) is a 16mm film inspired by 'Le Surréalisme en 1947' an exhibition catalog conceived by André Breton, Marcel Duchamp and Enrico Donati. The original catalog cover features a soft, foam-rubber breast mounted on a black velvet background, encouraging the reader to engage in this intimate and sensual gesture of touching. Instead of the faux flesh, her film focuses on the vibrant textures of various flowers, inviting viewers to imagine the tactile experience and give in to the temptation to touch.
STEPPING INTO THE FRAME
(10 min, 2022, 16MM Triple Projection Performance)
Stepping into the frame, is an intimate glance into the artist’s paradoxical self-portraiture practice. Best known for her still photographic work, Oliver now turns her gaze to her process. Through the use of a 16mm bolex, the artist has opened her self-portraits beyond the moment of capture, allowing viewers into her unique process. Oliver often meticulously pre-plans each of her shots but, because she must step out of the frame to reset the camera between each image, it is impossible for her to recreate each scene exactly. Viewers are brought to a better understanding of the ephemeral nature of Oliver’s photography and the fluidity and freedom behind her portraits.
SPLIT ENDS
(3 min, 2024, 16MM with live narration by the artist)
Split Ends is an animated addendum to her recently published book of the same title. This film flows from a text that inspired the ideas and questions explored in the book, delving into Oliver's relationship with her hair as a lens to understand her identity, lineage, and cultural heritage.
In the film, the artist uses vegetable roots as symbols for split ends—those old, often hidden or trimmed parts of hair. Instead of concealing them, the film celebrates their age, complexity, and perseverance. The film is accompanied by a live narration from the artist's diary.
The program will include a Q&A with the artist.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lauren Oliver (b. 1992, Forest Hills, New York) is a multidisciplinary artist working in Brooklyn, NY. Experimenting with photography, performance, and film making, Oliver's creative practice is deeply rooted in both the technical and metaphoric significance of light in analog image making. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography from SUNY Purchase. Her photographs have been featured on i-D, Buzzfeed, F-stop Magazine, and The Luupe. Her first monograph, “Temple of the Self,” published by Monolith Editions in 2020, is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2024, she published her second book, "Puntas Abiertas," with Matarile Ediciones. In addition to her artistic practice, Lauren teaches analog photography and film making at the International Center of Photography, Gowanus Community Darkroom, and Mono no Aware. In September 2024, she will start her graduate studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
ABOUT THE MONO NO AWARE SCREENING SERIES
The CONNECTIVITY THROUGH CINEMA series will present the work of artists, film-makers and curators who are traveling or presenting special interactive programs in-person. Our hope is to engage the community by showing work with a focus on post-screening discussion. This series is made possible by support from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).