Past Film/Video

Mortal Bodies

(Barbara Hammer)

A Horse is Not a Metaphor

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.

A Horse is Not a Metaphor

A Horse Is Not a Metaphor, image courtesy of The Barbara Hammer Estate and Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York

Double Strength

Double Strength, image courtesy of The Barbara Hammer Estate and Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York

Double Strength

Double Strength, image courtesy of The Barbara Hammer Estate and Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York

Film prints courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.

SEASON SUPPORT FOR FILM/VIDEO
Rohauer Collection Foundation

SUPPORT FOR THE FILM/VIDEO STUDIO PROGRAM
Institute of Museum and Library Services
National Endowment for the Arts

GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT FOR THE WEXNER CENTER
Greater Columbus Arts Council
Ohio Arts Council
The Columbus Foundation
Nationwide Foundation 

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Past Film/Video

Mortal Bodies