Mortal Bodies

Impermanence, mortality, and the fragility of the body have been recurring themes in Hammer’s films since her early career. Among the works in this program are Double Strength (1978), which documents the rise and fall of a romantic relationship, and A Horse Is Not a Metaphor (2008), a work of hope and resilience that takes the viewer from Hammer’s numerous chemo sessions to the expansive landscapes of Wyoming and New Mexico. Hammer’s visual lyricism and distinctive use of optically printed collage and superimposed imagery is on glorious display, suggesting perseverance through alternative cinematic perspectives. (program approx. 70 mins.)

Program lineup

Barbara Ward Will Never Die
(1968, 3:21 mins., video)

Vital Signs
(1991, 9:41 mins.,16mm)
New print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.

A Horse Is Not a Metaphor
(2008, 29:43 mins., video)

Double Strength
(1978, 14:38 mins.,16mm)
Restored by Electronic Arts Intermix and the Academy Film Archive through the National Film Preservation Foundation’s Avant-Garde Masters Grant program and The Film Foundation. Funding provided by the George Lucas Family Foundation.

Optic Nerve
(1985, 16:43 mins.,16mm)
Restored by the Academy Film Archive.

• View the complete Barbara Hammer: The Body in Film series
• More about the exhibition Barbara Hammer: In This Body
• Barbara Hammer website
• Wexner Center Artist Residency Award