A pioneer in American experimental film, Maya Deren “nearly single-handedly put experimental cinema on the American cultural map, and also became its iconic visual presence” in the 1940’s (The New Yorker).

 

This project is intended to honor her legacy, and keep her artistic vision and achievements alive and well in film’s consciousness.

“I am not greedy. I do not seek to possess the major portion of your days. I am content if, on those rare occasions whose truth can be stated only by poetry, you will, perhaps, recall an image, even only the aura of my films.”

The films of Ukrainian-born Maya Deren have struck a chord in ten thousand lakes. Steven and Peter gravitate towards atmospheric, emotional, ethereal, discordant and harmonious sounds—whatever it takes to touch something special. Thus it is no surprise to be drawn to Deren’s silent films…mystical, distorted, disturbing, atmospheric, mesmerizing. They touch something beyond the consciousness, something of which dreams are made.

 

It is a labor of deep admiration and respect to create original music to these special visions.

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In the spirit of the classic movie theater experience, the program opens with a brief animation, with live music accompaniment. German expressionist filmmaker Walter Ruttmann’s “Lichtspiel” Opus II and III (1921-23) provide a geometric feast for the eyes, as objects dance, pulse, and spin across the screen, changing shape and color.

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After the animations it’s time for the main attraction: four experimental gems by Deren, all made within a few years of one another while Deren was still in her 20’s. The program begins with “At Land” (1944), where we witness a symbolic “birth” of Deren as she is washed ashore (a fitting introduction), then watch her pull herself up and through the modern world, full of socialites, greed, and power. The second feature, “Ritual in Transfigured Time” (1946), is noted for its choreography of the mundane, the highlight being the dreamlike cocktail party that both connects and alienates the attendees. “The Very Eye of Night” (1955) is Deren’s final film, and third in this lineup. Deren collaborated with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School to create a visually cosmic experience. Dancers filmed in negative float through black outer space, gracefully moving through the heavens, as living constellations.

 

The final film, “Meshes of the Afternoon” (1943), is often considered to be Deren’s most influential work in American experimental film. According to MoMA, “Meshes” is a key example of the “trance film”—a work in which a protagonist is in a dreamlike state, and where the camera conveys his or her subjective focus. Expertly filmed during the day by Deren’s husband, Alexander Hammid, the film comes across as a “fever nap,” using disconnected repeated objects to unsettle the viewer. Deren stated she wanted “to put on film the feeling which a human being experiences about an incident, rather than to record the incident accurately ”