João Maria Gusmão and Pedro Paiva
Mon, Mar 8, 2010, 7:30pm
Described as "poetic philosophical fiction", João Maria Gusmão and Pedro Paiva's 16mm films explore and interpret the uncanny through acts of magnetism, transference, and material transformation. Influenced by alchemy, science fiction, ethnography, and speculative philosophy, their silent films question the boundaries of the perceivable world through short, enigmatic scenarios.
In response to the duo's highly suggestive meditation on the paranormal, the great Mandinga astrologer, Master Bafon, had this to say among other responses when asked to interpret the subject matter of João Maria Gusmão and Pedro Paiva's films:
"I tell you: there are stones that have certain powers. Stones have powers and there are many things that come out of them. Sometimes, if you try to pick them up, you can't because they have an extreme force. Many things can be found inside stones." - from a transcription titled In the Age when the Prophet Left his Mark in the Stones, recorded April, 2008.
Having represented Portugal at last year's Venice Biennial, Gusmão and Paiva (collaborators since 2001) will present a selection of more than twenty of their highly suggestive short films, including recently completed 35mm works.
As a part of the SculptureCenter exhibition Leopards in the Temple, the filmmakers will be on hand to introduce their films.
Films to be screened:
The Great Drinking Bout, 2007, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 8'57''
Eye Eclipse, 2007, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 2'40''
3 Suns, 2009, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 0'50''
The Unparticled Man, 2004, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 1'33''
The Shadow Man, 2006-07, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 1'40''
The Human Torch, 2007, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 2'23''
Meteoritic, 2008, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 6'49''
Fried Egg, 2008, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 2'37''
Hydraulics of Solids (or the man that eats stones), 2007, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 4'13''
The Human Board, 2009, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 0'43''
The Unbreakable Stone, 2004, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 1'28''
Essay on a Liquid Sculpture, 2006-07 (short version), 16mm film, colour, no sound, 4'04''
1400 Axe Chops, 2004, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 0'33''
Colombo's Column, 2006, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 3'02''
Paramagnetism, 2004, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 1'43''
The Throw 2, 2006, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 0'34''
Experiment on the Effluvium, 2009 (short version), 16mm film, colour, no sound, 10'43''
Tarciso and the mountain, 2009, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 1'20''
Tarciso, the "bottom of the boot" astronomy, 2009, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 1'31''
Tarciso, the demonstration of movement, 2009, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 1'56''
About the Spirit of Gravity (or the blacksmith and the cutting of the serpent) part 2, 2007, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 2'42''
Rolling Stones, 2007, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 2'03''
About the Density of Water, 2009, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 0'47''
Cinematics (or the log enchanter), 2006, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 1'50''
First Abissological Drawings, 2007, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 1'40''
Key, 2006-07 (short version), 16mm film, colour, no sound, 4'31''
The Evasive Men, 2006, 16mm film, colour, no sound, 0'48''
Hairy Stone, 2009, 35mm film, colour, no sound, 1'19''
Tarciso's analogy, 2009, 35mm film, colour, no sound, 4'11''
Hand, smaller than hand, 2009, 35mm film, colour, no sound, 1'48''
The Soup, 2009, 35mm film, colour, no sound, 3'35''
Peeling a Potato, 2009, 35mm film, colour, no sound, 2'49''
Fruit polyhedron, 2009, 35mm film, colour, no sound, 2'42''