December 11, 2015 – January 10, 2016
With Lary 7, Bradley Eros, Barbara Hammer, Ken Jacobs, Rose Kallal, Andrew Lampert, Bruce McClure, Joel Schlemowitz

Microscope is extremely pleased to present “Never Twice”, an exhibition of live moving image performance in the context of what is usually referred to as expanded cinema: works free from the constraints or presenting alternatives to the traditional theatrical screening setting – single projection on a screen before an audience. The title of the exhibit, a reference to the quote from Heraclitus “one cannot step into the same river twice”, emphasizes the ephemeral character of this art form, one always intrinsically connected to a “here” and “now”, a multi-sensorial experience that although it may be performed again, it cannot ever be replicated.

Microscope Gallery is very pleased to present an evening of moving image and sound performance works by Sarah Halpern in connection with her current solo exhibit "The Changing Room".

The artist's 35mm film strip and vocal performance pieces in "Film, Paper, Sound" reflect themes of transformation, dualism, and the differences in individual perception and are related to the works on view at the gallery. In the new 35mm film strip projection collage "Watch" Halpern correlates time to magic tricks combining images from clippings about Houdini's graphic notes explaining how certain tricks are performed, recent pocket watch collector's catalogues, and fragments of texts from books about early cinema technology. The second piece "Strip" is a projection through a complete molted snake skin, which the artist found in a garden, stretched across a film strip.

"Sound Screening" explores expansion of visual and auditory sensation. This time we have Richard Tuohy's first screening and performance in Japan. Richard is Australian film maestro who makes abstract experimental film with his enormous knowledge and advanced technique. Moreover, a solitary sound artist, Keitetsu Murai will show a sound from mutual interference of 4 oscillators which react to candle flame. And Shinkan Tamaki will show "Passages" which captured shapes of winds.

Site-specific experimental film performance by Mary Stark exploring voice, optical sound and industrial noise

Featuring experimental film works made during a September 2014 residency at LIFT, the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto. The artist residency was funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, Canada Council for the Arts and MIRIAD.