Patience Has its Rewards

Four entwined naked bodies become a fleshy, pulsing machine at one point in Film Montages (for Peter Roehr), an 11-minute film by LA-based experimental filmmaker William E. Jones that will screen on Monday at REDCAT. Combining and repeating shots borrowed from '70s gay porn films, Jones pays tribute to the work of 1960s German conceptual artist Peter Roehr, known for his fascination with repetition. Starting with an image of dancing spots of light on a nighttime highway, Jones uses the movement to create what's essentially an algorithmic music video. Separated from the flow of the narrative, the montage sequences highlight gestures (the odd movement of a hand or arm), reveal patterns and textures (soft blue jeans against shiny leather) or capture moments that might otherwise pass unnoticed. The program features several other short films, including The Fall of Communism as Seen in Gay Pornography, an early project that offers a trenchant analysis of power and politics, focusing on the East European porn industry. Jones reveals the power discrepancies between consumer and consumed in pornography, noting that "symbols of the old and new coexist in the fantasy world of gay porn." He continues, "Anachronisms may go unnoticed by consumers who fast-forward through the boring parts. But patience has its rewards." It certainly does. These powerful films move well beyond the cheerful simplicity of many mash-ups, opting instead for smart, compelling analysis.
the details:
William E. Jones: Le Grand Mash Up
In person: William E. Jones
Monday, May 4, 8:30 pm
REDCAT