Alexis McCrimmon

Shot in lush 16mm film, McCrimmon’s experimental short Ocean of Interiors explores dreams of the ocean and the freedom and possibilities it represents. Conceived as a film-poem that weaves together images from an interior world of memories and the external forces of one’s environment, the film begins with a woman inside a car, circling through an empty concrete parking garage. As the woman moves through the structure, her thoughts take her to the ocean’s shore, where she is seen twirling in the sand with windswept hair, freed from the confines of her landlocked urban life. An architectural drawing of the woman’s childhood home gives way to a series of personal memories, which are represented by everyday objects from her past—teacups, keys, handkerchiefs, purses, and coins—all presented in stylized tableaux that evoke colorful coral reefs. Interludes of hand-painted film, conjuring the dry concrete rubble of the city, are contrasted with expansive views of the shore and ocean. McCrimmon’s poem and score, which includes contrasting ambient sounds from the city and shore, offer an evocative complement to the mosaic of patterns and imagery onscreen. (4:40 mins., 16mm film transferred to HD video)

A member of the Meditation Ocean Constellation, McCrimmon worked closely with artist and director Hope Ginsburg as editor, colorist, and exhibition design collaborator on the large-screen, six-channel video installation M.O. Turtlegrass Meadow (2023). Supported by a Wexner Center Artist Residency Award and the center’s Film/Video Studio, the work is on view in our galleries as part of the Meditation Ocean exhibition through July 9.

IMAGE CAPTION
Ocean of Interiors, courtesy of the artist.