Turn the Light Around: 16mm Performative Plant-Processed Films is a presentation by Katherine Bauer and Joyce Lainé, members of the film collective Le Ratoire and Atelier MTK.
While most analog films today are processed using complex chemicals in a darkroom, each of the films in this program emerged from a developer composed of only plants, ashes, and water. Filmmakers Katherine Bauer and Joyce Lainé—members of the French film collectives Le Ratoire and Atelier MTK—engage in plant-based film processing as a form of collective action. Plants are thus collaborators in both the subject matter and the material revelation of their films, bringing their work into dialogue with the broader ecosystem: the sun gives life to the plants, the plants give life to the film, and the film turns the light back around to our eyes.
The program centers on the film-performance Asphalt Splendor by Le Ratoire, in which the collective sought to make a portrait of the Hudson River (or Mahicannittuk in Mahican), “the river that flows both ways.” In the summer of 2023, five members of their group traveled by canoe from Troy, New York, to “World’s End” in the Hudson Valley over the course of three weeks, filming their journey and processing the footage with water from the river and plants growing on the shores. Bauer and Lainé also capture place and time through the weeds in the other films to be screened: a turn around a temple outside of Guadalajara is processed with the surrounding beer and sage, a day at the beach becomes red from a certain seaweed, mushrooms munch emulsion to reveal mysterious mapping, and more!
This screening event is organized by Professor of Visual Arts Christopher Harris in conjunction with his fall course, “Filmmaking: 16mm Analog Film Production.” It will be introduced by Julia Curl, Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Art & Archaeology, with a conversation following the screening.
Admission & Details
The event is free and open to the public; no tickets required.
Directions
Get directions to the James Stewart Film Theater, located on the first floor at 185 Nassau Street.
Accessibility
The James Stewart Film Theater is an accessible venue. The theater has spaces for wheelchair and companion seating in the top row. A mechanized lift provides access to all levels in the theater for a wheelchair or a patron with a mobility disability. See an event staff member in the theater for assistance using the lift. Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes in advance of the event start time for this assistance and for best choice of seating locations. Visit our Venues and Studios section for accessibility information at our various locations. Guests in need of access accommodations are invited to contact the Lewis Center at 609-258-5262 or email LewisCenter@princeton.edu at least one week in advance of the event date.
