Abigail Child

Abigail Child is a prolific film/video maker and writer interested in the disjunctions between memory/experience and between sound/image relations. She is also interested in mixing genres in her work and "strategies for re-writing narrative, as well as investigating public space through memory and history."www.abigailchild.com Abigail works from found footage ranging from old silent films, B-movies, porn loops, home videos and industrial films. Her re-combinations of film and sound provide a refreshing trope for exploring issues of gender, sexuality and class. Her work is periodically shown at venues including The Whitney and The San Francisco Cinematheque.

Overview: Work in Film and Writing

Abigail Child started making films as a documentarian in the '70s. She made seven independent 16mm films between 1970 and 1976. By the mid '70s Child began making experimental films that explore her interest in the disjunction between sound/image relations. Two of her films from this time, "Between Times" (1975) and "Game" (1972) are both award winners. These films are a part of a culmination series titled, "Is This What You Were Born For?"

Child continued to work with montage through the '80s. Her two most well known films from this time include "Perils"(1986) and "Mayhem"(1987). These films explore radical strategies to rewrite narrative and are included in her ongoing series of shorts, "Is This What You Were Born For?" In these films, Child uses quick cuts and often arresting and contradictory images that provide for enlightening juxtapositions. Though some content may be considered disturbing, the effect of the lyrical montage provides for a whimsical visual experience. Child came out with two books of poetry in the '80s, "From Solids" (Roof Books, 1983) and "A Motive for Mayhem" (Potes & Poets, 1989). In '87 and '86, Abigail also created two well known collages "New Modern Times" [http://abigailchild.com/collages/asian_clock/pages/asian_clock_four_columns.htm] and "The Magician" (1986) [http://abigailchild.com/collages/magician/pages/magician_00_4column.htm]

In the '90s Child began exploring a new interest in public and private spaces. Films from this time include "B/Side"(1996) and "Below the New: A Russian Chronicle" (1999). These films follow her signature style of montage and strange combinations of audio and visual. She published another two books of collected poetry, "Mob" ( O Books, 1994) and "Scatter Matrix" (Roof Books, 1996).

Her most recent work involves her signature style of film-making incorporated into installations in galleries accross the U.S. and world. Her installation pieces are viewed as, "prismatic interruptive and haunting narratives"( [http://abigailchild.com/about/about.htm]

Works In Film

2007 in progress SURF AND TURF, Part 3 of "The Suburban Trilogy"
2007 SCENE 28: Pingyao China for Dziga Vertov Project (Installation on Tour)
2007 ON THE DOWNLOW feature documentary
2007-4 THE PARTY
2006 MIRROR WORLD Installation.
2006 BY DESIRE 3-screen installation
2005 TO AND NO FRO
2004 BLONDE FUR (loop from CAKE AND STEAK)
2004 THE FUTURE IS BEHIND YOU Part 2. of "The Suburban Trilogy"
2003-04 CAKE AND STEAK Part 1, of "The Suburban Trilogy"
2003 THE MILKY WAY installation version of DARK DARK
2002 SUBTALK
2001 DARK DARK part 2, "How the World Works"
2000 SURFACE NOISE part 1, "How the World Works"
1999 BELOW THE NEW
1998-99 CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (script w/ M. Ragona)
1996 B/SIDE
1995 THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS interactive video
1994 DINKINSVILLE
1993 SONGS interactive video
1993 8 MILLION
1990-91 SWAMP
1990 SWAMP SONGS
1989 MERCY part 7 from "Is This What You Were Born For?"
1988 BOTH part 3 ""
1987 MAYHEM part 6 ""
1985-86 PERILS part 5 ""
1984 COVERT ACTION part 4 ""
1982-83 MUTINY part 2 ""
1981 PREFACES part 1 ""
1979 ORNAMENTALS1979 PACIFIC FAR EAST LINE ""
1978 PERIPETEIA II ""
1978 DAYLIGHT TEST SECTION
1977 PERIPETEIA I
1975 TAR GARDEN
1972 GAME
1970 EXCEPT THE PEOPLE

Publications

BOOKS"THIS IS CALLED MOVING: A Critical Poetics of Film" U. of Alabama Press, 2005.
"ARTIFICIAL MEMORY, 1 +2" Belladonna Press. Series Editor: Rachel Levitsky. Brooklyn, NYC. 2001.
"CLIMATIPLUS" Translated by Pascal Poyet. Format Americain 1999/ un bureau sur 'Atlantique. Ed: Juliette VAlery. Bordeaux
"SCATTER MATRIX" Roof Books. New York. 1996.
"MOB" O Press, Oakland California. 1994.
"FLESH" (collaboration with Sjourd Hofstra) Zet Amsterdam. 1990.
"A MOTIVE FOR MAYHEM" Potes and Poets Press, Hartford, CT. 1989.
"CLIMATE/PLUS" Coincidence Press, San Francisco 1986 + French Edition 1999 Brodeaux.
"FROM SOLIDS" The Segue Founation, New York. 1983.

ANTHOLOGIES
"Blood and Tears" (1999) Painted Leaf Press ed. Scott Gibson.
"Moving Borders: Three Decades of Innovative Writing by Women" Talisman House (spring 1998)
"From the Other Side of the Century" Sun and Moon Press(1994 Los Angeles)
"The Gertrude Stein Anthology of Innovative Poetry" Sun and Moon Press (1994)"The Art of Practice" Potes and Poets (Hartford, CT. 1994)
"Resurgent: An Anthology of Women's Writing"(Southern Illinois Press 1992)
"O/An anthology"ed. Leslie Scalapino. (Berkeley CA 1988)
"boundary 2" ed. Charles Bernstein. 1985.

Education

1974 - 1976 YALE UNIVERSITY School of the Arts, M.F.A. Honors in Graphics, with specialization in Photo/Film.
1970 - 1974 HARVARD UNIVERSITY B.A. Magna cum laude, in History and Literature. Specialization: England.
1975 summer UNIVERSITY FILM STUDIES SUMMER WORKSHOP at Hampshire College. Optical Printing Workshop.
1973 summer SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS, Graphics.
1972 summer HARVARD UNIVERSITY Chiapas Project, Mexico. Field work in Zinacanteca and Chamula, w/ Dr. Evon Vogt.
1970 summer PEABODY MUSEUM, HARVARD & U. OF NEW MEXICO Anasazi Origins q/ Dr. Irene Williams. Field work in New Mexico.
[http://abigailchild.com/about/Artist's%20VITA.pdf]

Teaching Experience

1999-- SCHOOL OF THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON senior faculty in Film/Animation Area.
1991-1999 SARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGE, Professor, FIlm/Video in Studio Arts.
1990-1991 HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE, Associate Professor, Humanities and Arts. Production and Critical Issues.
1989-1990 SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS, Adjunct Professor, Intro to Film/Video.
1989 (W) SAN FRANCISCO ART INSTITUTE, Visiting Professor in Film for two terms.
1986 (F) Undergraduate Production, Graduate Seminar, Senior Projects.
1985 MASS COLLEGE OF ART, Assistant Professor in film, Advanced Production & Technical Post Production (sound design).
1980-1985 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY OF ARTS. Adjunct Professor, Department of Film & Television: Experimental Production, Super-8 Production, Techniques of the Editing Room. Lecturer in Cinema Studies: "Continuing Trends of the Avantgarde".

[http://www.smfa.edu/Programs_Faculty/Faculty/C/Child_Abigail.asp]

References

P. Adams Sitney, Chapter: "Eyes Upside Down: Visionary Filmmakers and the Heritage of Emerson." The thirteenth chapter is called: "Abigail Child: Textual Self-Reliance." U. of California Press. Spring 2008.
Jim Browne, "On the Downlow" in Divine Caroline [http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/31/30390] June 2007.
Jennifer Merin, "Director Spotlight-- Women filmmakers at Tribeca--" Posted May 3, 2007 on "THE REELER" interview.
Ed Halter, "Collective Memory" in the Village Voice, Arts Choice. April 4-10, 2007.
Karen L. Schiff, "Fragment Fiesta!: Abigail Child @ Agasiz House, Radcliffe Institute" In "BIG RED SHINY," Issue 42. 5/06.
Tom Gunning, Foreword to "THIS IS CALLED MOVING: A Critical Poetics of Film" 2005.
Gary Morris, "Private Eye: Abigail Child in brief" in "Bright Lights Film Journal" April 2001 Issue 32. [http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/32/abigailchild.html]

http://abigailchild.com/about/about.htm]
http://www.smfa.edu/Programs_Faculty/Faculty/C/Child_Abigail.asp
http://abigailchild.com/about/Artist's%20VITA.pdf
http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/films/2007nevedec/child.html]
http://www.vdb.org/smakcn.aacgi$artistdetail?CHILDA]
http://chax.org/eoagh/issue3/issuethree/child.html]