Experimental Filmmaker Phil Solomon to Introduce Series of Grand Theft Auto Films

Installation Also on View for One Week

 

Kicking off three evenings of screenings, experimental filmmaker Phil Solomon will visit the Wexner Center for the Arts on Wednesday, October 1 to discuss and present his latest work, including a trilogy of digital videos created with the video game Grand Theft Auto IV. In addition, Solomon’s installation pieces “EMPIRE” and American Falls will be on view in the Wexner Center’s Performance Space September 26–October 1.

For over two decades, Phil Solomon, based in Boulder, Colorado, has been creating films of overpowering beauty. Recently, Solomon has been using this lifetime of artistry to produce work in a new medium: a series of videos full of magic and footage from the notorious Grand Theft Auto videogames. Go to philsolomon.com for more information.

PHIL SOLOMON IN PERSON:

Wednesday, October 1 | 7 pm | Wexner Center Film/Video Theater

Phil Solomon makes a rare in-person appearance to present a series of his recent Grand Theft Auto digital videos (plus a prologue), including a preview of Still Raining, Still Dreaming (2008), made from the blockbuster hi-def game Grand Theft Auto IV. These works have caused a sensation wherever they’ve screened. As an introduction to Solomon’s film work, we’ll also be showing one of his most acclaimed films, Twilight Psalm II: Walking Distance (1999), and the night will have other surprises and glimpses at works-in-progress in store.

Twilight Psalm II: Walking Distance (1999) 23 mins.
Innocence and Despair (2001) 4 mins.
Untitled (for David Gatten) (2005) 5 mins.
Rehearsals for Retirement (2007) 11 mins.
Last Days in a Lonely Place (2007) 20 mins.
Still Raining, Still Dreaming (2008) running time TBD.
One additional new work will be announced.

ADDITIONAL SCREENINGS:

Collaborations with Stan Brakhage and Other Films

Thursday, October 9 | 7 pm (approx 75 mins., 16mm & video)

Legendary experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage (1933–2003) was one of Phil Solomon’s greatest inspirations, mentors, and friends. They collaborated on several remarkable films, two of which will be screened tonight, along with never-before-seen footage of Brakhage at work and play specially prepared for the screening from Solomon’s personal archive. We’ll also show a number of Solomon’s most Brakhage-influenced films, including the lyrical The Secret Garden (1988), made primarily from a lush reworking of footage from The Wizard of Oz.

 

Twilight Psalms and Other Films

Thursday, October 16 | 7 pm (approx. 80 mins., 16mm)

Features two transfixing episodes from Phil Solomon’s ongoing series of films called the Twilight Psalms, a personal ”secret” history of the 20th century with each title derived from an episode of The Twilight Zone. Among the other films screening are the elegiac companion films The Exquisite Hour (1989/1994) and Remains to Be Seen (1989/1994). Stan Brakhage listed the latter as one of the 10 greatest films of all time in Sight & Sound’s famous critics’ poll.

Tickets for each evening of films are $7 for the general public, $5 for Wexner Center members, students, and senior citizens, and $3 for children under 12. For tickets call (614) 292-3535 or visit  visit www.ticketmaster.com. For more information visit www.wexarts.org.

INSTALLATION: PHIL SOLOMON

Friday, September 26–Wednesday, October 1 | Wexner Center Performance Space

“EMPIRE” is a potentially infinite re-animation of Andy Warhol’s exhaustive film Empire, itself now on view in the Wexner Center’s Warhol exhibition. While the original focuses on the Empire State Building as a “star” of the New York City skyline, Solomon’s tribute makes the monolith into a character actor. This installation work is created with the video game Grand Theft Auto IV, and the building serves as an anchor to the constantly changing skies, cyclical moons, and shimmering bodies of water within the game. The piece will be shown on a Playstation 3 video game system and will run for a combined total of 127 hours in the Performance Space.

Also on view is a second installation, American Falls, a looped 30-minute preview version of a larger, epic "cine-mural" that Solomon is creating as an installation for the rotunda at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., to be shown in autumn 2009. Inspired by Frederic Church's sublime 19th-century painting Niagara, American Falls employs Solomon's cinematic techniques to create a poetic vision of American history in constant motion. Says Solomon: "My project American Falls is ultimately one of great hope, stemming from a life-long love for this American experiment of ours…but it is also necessitated by my deepest concern for its present and future directions."

The installations are on view during regular gallery hours: Thursday through Saturday, 11 AM to 8 PM; Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 11 AM to 6 PM. Admission to the installations is included with any same-day film, performance, or Warhol exhibition ticket.