October 16 – An Evening with John Smith
Thursday, October 16th | John Smith in person! In his playful and thought-provoking short films and videos, UK filmmaker John Smith explores the language of cinema and reflects on the image’s role in politics, war, and the global economy. The 2013 Jarman Award winner presents a selection from across his 40-year career, including the seminal The Girl Chewing […]
On Carlos Motta…
This week SAIC graduate student Charles Rice writes about how he has drawn inspiration from Carlos Motta’s work in order to develop a practice informed by abandonment, autobiography and memory. My own artistic practice is centered on my own (queer) body and how I may establish a narrative that acknowledges my own lived histories. I […]
October 2 – Carlos Motta: The Nefandus Trilogy
Thursday, October 2nd | Carlos Motta in person! Carlos Motta’s practice draws upon various political histories in an attempt to articulate counter narratives that recognize suppressed histories, communities, and identities. Composed of the three films Nefandus, Shipwreck (Naufragios) and The Defeated (La visión de los vencidos) his 2013 Nefandus Trilogy is a haunting examination of pre-Hispanic homoeroticism […]
September 25 – Jennifer Reeder: A Million Miles Away
Thursday, September 25 | Jennifer Reeder in person! Jennifer Reeder’s pop-noir films explore women’s experiences in breakups, breakdowns, and new beginnings. The award-winning Chicago artist presents four recent shorts and a preview of her latest project, Blood Below the Skin. A Million Miles Away (2014) listens in on the bedroom conversations of teenage girls as they forge bonds over absent […]
April 24 – Basma Alsharif: Doppelgänging
Thursday, April 24 | Basma Alsharif in person! Basma Alsharif’s sharp, seductive films have often been informed by Palestine’s history, its contemporary political situation, and the conflicted experiences of those who call it home (whether or not they live there). She returns to CATE with a collection of recent films that explore bilocation—the act of being in multiple places […]
Interview with Jodie Mack
Could you tell us a little bit about the program you’ll be screening for Conversations at the Edge this fall? Sure. The formal description: Let Your Light Shine investigates the formal principles of abstract cinema while maturing an interest in found materials; evolving modes of production and labor; and the role of decoration in daily […]
October 31- Jodie Mack: Let Your Light Shine
Thursday, October 31, 6 p.m. | Jodie Mack in person! Jodie Mack’s handmade films are vibrant examinations of the decorative detritus that accumulates around us. With cast-off bits of wrapping paper, calico fabrics, and magazine clippings, she crafts exquisite stroboscopic abstractions and poignant fables of the pitfalls of modern materiality. The SAIC alumna returns to Chicago with […]
September 19 – An Evening with Ximena Cuevas
Thursday, September 19, 6 p.m. Due to travel disruptions in Mexico caused by Hurricane Ingrid and Tropical Depression Manuel, Ximena Cuevas is not able to join us tonight. An additional surprise piece will be added to the lineup. Pioneering Mexican video artist Ximena Cuevascreates smart, playful works that mix performance, autobiography, and mass-media excess to […]
April 11 – An Evening with Rosa Barba
Thursday, April 11 | Rosa Barba in person! German-Italian artist Rosa Barba’s work takes shape through artists’ books, sculptural film-based installations, and short films. Often set in monumental, even menacing landscapes, her films combine documentary, performance, and science fiction tropes to examine surreal confrontations between nature, humans, and their technologies. Her subjects include life in the […]
April 4 – Spin/Verso/Contour: An Evening with Hannes Schüpbach
Thursday, April 4, 6 p.m. | Hannes Schüpbach in person! The films of renowned Swiss artist Hannes Schüpbach are lyrical, often transcendent portraits of people, spaces, and everyday life. A painter, performance artist, and expert on textile art, Schüpbach weaves together light, gesture, and a keen attentiveness to the material world into meticulously structured compositions. His films, […]
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Conversations at the Edge is a weekly series of screenings, performances, and talks by groundbreaking media artists.
CATE is organized by SAIC's Department of Film, Video, New Media, and Animation in collaboration with the Gene Siskel Film Center and SAIC's Video Data Bank.
Programs take place at the Gene Siskel Film Center (164 N. State / Chicago, IL / 312.846.2600), unless otherwise noted.
