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Demolition (J. P. Sniadecki; US, 2008): Afterimage: Filmmakers and Critics in Conversation - J. P. Sniadecki
One of the first works from Harvard’s acclaimed Sensory Ethnography Lab was this riveting study of the never-ending cycle of construction and destruction in booming modern China, in this case the western city of Chengdu. On a massive construction site, laborers in shirtsleeves smoke, joke, and slave away, dwarfed by the machinery and landscapes that surround them. As time goes on, they also begin to notice the camera that’s filming them, and “that man from Harvard” who is always there. A document on labor, modernity, and cinema, Demolition offers a primer on both China and the documentary form.
When:
April 21, 2015 7:00pm
Where
Speakers/Performers: J.P. Sniadecki; Max Goldberg
In Conversation: J. P. Sniadecki & Max Goldberg
(Chaiqian)
One of the first works from Harvard’s acclaimed Sensory Ethnography Lab was this riveting study of the never-ending cycle of construction and destruction in booming modern China, in this case the western city of Chengdu. On a massive construction site, laborers in shirtsleeves smoke, joke, and slave away, dwarfed by the machinery and landscapes that surround them. As time goes on, they also begin to notice the camera that’s filming them, and “that man from Harvard” who is always there. A document on labor, modernity, and cinema, Demolition offers a primer on both China and the documentary form.
Photographed by Sniadecki.
(62 mins, In Mandarin with English subtitles, Color, DigiBeta, From the artist)
Preceded By:
Songhua (China/US, 2007)
Filmed only a year after a major chemical spill, Songhua follows the bends and depths of the Songhua River in northeastern China, the main water supply for the residents of the city of Harbin. (Photographed by Sniadecki, 28 mins, In Mandarin with English subtitles, Color, DigiBeta, From the artist)
Total running time: 90 mins
Tickets required: $5.50 BAM/PFA members; UC Berkeley students, $6.50 UC Berkeley Faculty, Staff, and Retirees; Non-UC Berkeley Students; Senior citizens (65 & over); Disabled Persons; Youth (17 & under), $9.50 General Admission
Ticket info: Buy tickets by calling 510-642-5249.
Cost:
$5.50 BAM/PFA members; UC Berkeley students, $6.50 UC Berkeley Faculty, Staff, and Retirees; Non-UC Berkeley Students; Senior citizens (65 & over); Disabled Persons; Youth (17 & under), $9.50 General Admission
Phone Number:
510-642-1412
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