The Space in Back of You
The Space in Back of You
Sunday October 13, 2013, 7:00 pm
Los Angeles Filmforum presents The Space in Back of You, featuring Suzushi Hanayagi and Robert Wilson
Los Angeles Premiere! In conjunction with Einstein on the Beach.
Simone Forti in person (schedule permitting)
At the Spielberg Theatre at the Egyptian, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90028
Tickets: $10 general, $6 students/seniors; free for Filmforum members. Available by credit card in advance from Brown Paper Tickets or at the door.
In conjunction with LA Opera’s presentation of Einstein on the Beach, Filmforum presents the Los Angeles Premiere of this poignant documentary, which explores one key influence on Wilson’s art –the innovative, radical Japanese dancer and choreographer Suzushi Hanayagi. After losing touch and then finding her suffering from Alzheimer’s, Wilson creates a tribute to their artistic partnership—the final collaboration between a great teacher and her renowned student. Rutkowski’s film is a moving exploration of Hanayagi’s significance and the production of this work.
The Space in Back of You
by Richard Rutkowski (2011, digital, color, 65 min)
Featuring Suzushi Hanayagi, Robert Wilson, Simone Forti, Anna Halperin,
PRECEDED BY:
La femme à la cafetière
by Robert Wilson (1989, France, video, color, 7 min.)
Filmmaker Richard Rutkowski works primarily as a cinematographer and came to this project through his long association with Robert Wilson. Born in Oklahoma, Richard grew up on eastern Long Island, the son of landscape painter Casimir Rutkowski. He began making short films while a student at Harvard College in the 1980's, where he also met Bob Wilson in 1985.
After appearing in Wilson's production of the CIVIL warS at the American Repertory Theater, Richard continued as his assistant over several years, helping to discover the original building which has become The Watermill Center and photographing the initial HD Video Portraits of Wilson's much admired VOOM series. In feature films, Richard has worked for directors as renowned and varied as Neil Burger, Darren Aronofsky, Adrian Lyne, Joel Schumacher, Wes Craven, and Roman Polanski. He shoots commercials, series television -- most recently the series Boss for Starz Network -- and gallery installation work for artists including Dan Colen and Sharon Lockhart. He lives in Los Angeles and New York City with his wife Betsy and step-daughter Daisy.
Simone Forti is a renowned choreographer and musician
An interview with Rutkowski: http://www.cool-ny.com/en/archives/1168
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This program is supported by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission; the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles; and the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. Additional support generously provided by American Cinematheque. We also depend on our members, ticket buyers, and individual donors.
The Space in Back of You
The Space in Back of You
by Richard Rutkowski (2011, digital, color, 65 min)
Featuring Suzushi Hanayagi, Robert Wilson, Simone Forti, Anna Halperin,
East and West, Old and Young, Man and Woman, Time and Space in Motion...
Great artists have their cherished inspiration, the person who – while perhaps less known to the world – informed their work and continues to influence them throughout their creative life. Such a person is Suzushi Hanayagi. This visual and visceral documentary travels more than 80 years, from Japan to New York City and back to Japan again, in pursuit of the creative life of Hanayagi, a powerful, innovative, even radical Japanese dancer and choreographer. Constantly willing to experiment, Hanayagi challenged her art form and herself well into her 70’s. From the discipline of early Japanese traditional dance training, steeped in the lineage of generations of dancers who came before her, to her decades of modern dance performance, this bold indomitable woman uniquely bridged East and West, making work that expanded what classical or modern dance is and could be.
Hanayagi’s life and influence are examined in creatively juxtaposed images of her stunning performances and through the voices of fellow artists, including principally theater legend Robert Wilson. Close collaborators for over twenty years, she was a major influence on Wilson who referred to her simply as “my teacher.” When he discovers Hanayagi living in an old-age home and suffering from Alzheimer’s, Wilson resolves to work with her once again. As the camera follows his efforts to re-connect with her, communicating through their shared language of gesture and stage movement, we watch Wilson and his troupe of dancers create their homage to Hanayagi for premiere at New York’s Guggenheim Museum. Poignant witness to the transition of a life from vibrancy to legacy, The Space In Back of You becomes the final collaboration between a great teacher and her most renowned student. Trailer: http://vimeo.com/49792626
La femme à la cafetière
by Robert Wilson (1989, France, video, color, 7 min.)
Inspired by a painting of the same title by Paul Cézanne, Wilson wittily conveys the boredom of the figure within the frame, as she passes her time, nibbling sweets, unmoved by the changes around her until she must relinquish her place to a successor. Co-produced by the Musèe d'Orsay, INA, and La September, performed by Suzushi Hanayagi and Consuelo de Haviland.