“The films in this program represent a number of different stylistic tendencies in filmmaking which coexisted during the 1980s, in an environment where films were screened in clubs along with performances and live music, and often on the same night. The fluidity of performers, filmmakers, and musicians collaborating created a particularly vibrant and unique element of nightlife. Influences including music videos and topical news stories, comedies and the carnivalesque, mythic or gothic horror films, occult and pseudoscientific explorations, the use of found footage, and of course investigations of the body—including pushing the boundaries of physical extremes—were all prevalent. The DIY aesthetic was an essential part in the working process, which would also manifest itself as an intuitive sense of urgent and confusing creativity at a time when the shadow of a spectre, which eventually destroyed a huge swath of the community, was running rampant” (Tessa Hughes-Freeland).

Curated by Tessa Hughes-Freeland

Programme:- Black Goddess. 1986. USA. Directed by Ellen Fisher. 16mm with performance. Approximately 10 min. Courtesy the artist.- Cornella: Story of a Burning Bush. 1985. USA. Directed by Kembra Pfahler. Digital video from Super8mm. 5 min. Courtesy the artist.- The Contortionist. 1978. USA. Directed by Joyce Randall. With Greer Lankton. Digital video from Super8mm. 3 min. Preserved by The Museum of Modern Art, New York.- Around Clown. 1987. USA. Directed by Steve Doughton. With David Wojnarowicz. Digital video from Super8mm. 3 min. The Museum of Modern Art, New York.- The Dagmar Onassis Story. 1984. USA. Directed by Anthony Chase, John Kelly. Digital video from Super8mm. 24 min. Preserved by The Museum of Modern Art, New York.- Soul City. 1977–79. Directed by M. Henry Jones. 35mm. 2 min. Preserved by Anthology Film Archives with funding provided by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.- Hetrosexual Love. 1984. USA. Directed by DirectArt Ltd Productions. 16mm. 3 min. Courtesy the artists.- Mutable Fire! 1984. USA. Directed by Bradley Eros. 16mm from Super8mm. 8 min. Preserved by Anthology Film Archives with funding provided by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the National Film Preservation Foundation.- Simonland. 1984. USA. Directed by Tommy Turner. 16mm from Super8mm. 12 min. Courtesy Tommy Turner Film Collection, Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University.- West Side Evan. 1982. USA. Directed by Matthew Harrison. Digital video from Super8mm. 8 min. Courtesy the artist.- Goodbye 42nd Street. 1983. USA. Directed by Richard Kern. Digital video from Super8mm. 4 min. Courtesy the artist.- Fashion Is. 1985. USA. Directed by Jack Waters. 16mm. 5 min. Courtesy the artist.- Totem of the Depraved (Nick and James). 1983. USA. Directed by Ela Troyano. 16mm. 10 min. Courtesy the artist.