Exquisite Cinema of the Surreal

EXQUISITE CINEMA OF THE SURREAL

Co-presented by Aurora Picture Show and The Menil Collection
Free outdoor screening Friday, October 23 (7pm)
Location: The Menil Collection, Main Building Lawn - 1533 Sul Ross Street
Program available to stream online, Friday-Sunday, Oct. 23-25

In conjunction with the Menil Collection’s exhibition Photography and the Surreal Imagination, Aurora Picture Show and the Menil present an outdoor screening of films inspired by Surrealism. Taking a cue from the Surrealist “exquisite corpse” game of chance combinations, this program presents an eclectic selection of historic and contemporary short films that explore unusual and playful use of everyday objects, animation, abstraction, and camera trickery. Curated by Mary Magsamen, the 75-minute program includes works by Ilaria Di Carlo, Germaine Dulac, Marcel Duchamp, Allison Janae Hamilton, Lawrence Jordan, Joan Logue, Virginia Lee Montgomery, Oscar Muñoz, Allison Schulnik, and Steina and Woody Vasulka.

This special outdoor screening will take place on the front lawn of the Menil Collection's main building at 1533 Sul Ross Street, between Mandell and Mulberry Streets. Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs; seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. All guests are required to abide by the Menil Collection’s COVID-19 safety protocols by maintaining social distance (at least 6 feet between each household) and wearing a face mask that covers your nose and mouth unless eating or drinking. All other Menil green space policies apply. Further information regarding accessibility and parking can be found here. Please note that in the event of inclement weather, the program will be held on Saturday, October 24.

We highly recommend planning a visit to see the Menil Collection’s exhibition Photography and the Surreal Imagination, curated by Natalie Dupêcher, before the screening! Reserve your free timed entry at menil.org/welcomeback. This exhibition presents the wide reach of the surreal imagination in modern and contemporary photography. Anchored in historical Surrealism, it explores photography’s central tension between documentation and invention, a generative force for artists connected to that movement and beyond. It closes on November 29, 2020.

Program:

Étude cinégraphique sur une arabesque

Germaine Dulac, 1929, silent, 8:17

Wakulla Cathedral

Allison Janae Hamilton, 2019, silent, 3:26

The Divine Way

Ilaria Di Carlo, 2019, 15:00

Anemic Cinema

Marcel Duchamp, 1926, silent, 3:00

CUT COPY SPHINX

Virginia Lee Montgomery, 2018, 3:30

Línea del destino (Line of destiny)

Oscar Muñoz, 2006, silent, 2:00

Moth

Allison Schulnik, 2019, 3:30

Our Lady of the Sphere

Lawrence Jordan, 1969, 10:00

Home

Steina and Woody Vasulka, 1973, 16:43

René and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War

Joan Logue, 1984, 3:42