In The Black Tower, John Smith transforms a simple industrial building into a terrifying ruin. Presenting this architecture from different viewpoints and adding a monologue, he draws us into the world of a man pursued by a tower in London. The imaginary correspondence between voice and image creates a mise en abyme, a kind of phantasm with the capacity to question the cinematographic act.
Slow Glass, meanwhile, begins with the nostalgic dreams of a glassmaker, reflecting on the transformation of the city and the disappearance of artisan techniques. The film’s images and words offer a melancholic gauge of slow, imperceptible changes in the urban landscape. At the same time, in its treatment of vision and optics, it creates a simile between glassmaking and film creation.
The Black Tower, 1985-87, 16 mm, 24 min
Slow Glass, 1988-91, 16 mm, 40 min
Digital screening. Catalan subtitles.
Copies courtesy of John Smith.
A programme by Celeste Araújo and Oriol Sánchez.