FILM/VIDEO: Video, Performance, Multimedia, Installation Artist & Film/Video Faculty Nancy Buchanan will present recent work from California to Iraq.

Program:

California Stories, mini-DV, 10 min., 1983
Natives of Wisconsin reveal the "truth" about California.

3 fates, mini-DV, 2 min., 2008
Documentation of a looped, 3-channel installation and other works included in The Long Weekend (a series of events co-organized by Nancy Buchanan which was meant to examine themes of fashion and consumption through durational performances and installation works in the windows of a former furniture store).

"On any given day we, collectively, become the Goddess of the Three Directions and can look back into the past, look at ourselves just where we are, and take a glance, as well, into the future."
- Alice Walker (TheRoot.com: March 27, 2008)
Throughout cultural history, sacred and mythic women have appeared in threes, sometimes also merging into one mythic figure. There are also three main life states: childhood, sexual maturity, and old age. In Greek mythology, the three Fates personified destiny and controlled the thread of life from birth to death (and beyond). Supposedly, even the Gods feared the Fates. The Greek word moira (μοῖρα) translates as a part or portion--and so, one's fate is the part one is destined to play in life.
While their forerunners were draped in white, could the gowns worn by these fashionable "Fates" hint at what lies beyond fashion? Siren-red satin, prison-jumpsuit orange, camouflage (with glitter). As the model strolls through each of three screens, her gown changes; the three are one, yet are not.
Original audio score: John Hawk & Kassandra Woodring. Model: Gina Caravetta. Dress fabrication: Hayley Blatte. Makeup & production assistance: Hilja Keading. Lighting & production assistance: Gordon Kurowski. Camera & editing: Nancy Buchanan

Use Value, mini-DV, 1:14 min., 2001-7
Documentation of Video installation; in collaboration with Carolyn Potter.
Miniature building with garage sale in progress.

Each One, Teach One: The Legacy of Michael Zinzun
mini-DV, 23 min., 2006
Portrait of a dedicated community activist and close friend.

Tech-Knowledge, Beta SP, 16 min., 1984
Examples of Midwestern industry and farming are used to survey the ways in which technology mediates our lives. Featured in the recent California Video exhibition at the Getty.

Canon of Commerce, DigiBeta, 3 min. 2006
From The Generic Remix Project, a compilation of works by 13 artists, organized by Nancy Buchanan.

Sleepsecure, 2005, web project
An interactive quilt referencing US income taxes

. . .and babies?, silent, mini-DV, 2:15 min., 2003-06
Documentation of video installation, projection into a large bottle

work-in-progress, (length TBA) miniDV
Interviews with Kurdish women; footage gathered during 2008 visits to Northern Iraq

Nancy Buchanan has a history of work in video, performance and mixed media. Notable recent exhibitions include California Video at the Getty Institute, Los Angeles (2008) and Los Angeles 1955-1985, Centre Pompidou, Paris (2006). Her work has been exhibited and screened internationally, and she is the recipient of several awards including four National Endowment for the Arts Individual Artist's Fellowships, a New Media Fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation, and an Artist's grant from the City of Los Angeles. She teaches video installation and history at California Institute of the Arts where she has been a member of the Film/Video School faculty since 1988.