OWNERBUILT by Larry Andrews
Tuesday April 29, 2014 – 7PM | Communications 150 / Studio C
Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing aftermath destroyed Noel’s community, neighborhood and home. He is rebuilding, and as he rebuilds, he evokes the past through the enlistment of his personal archives. His memories are complicated by the tragic events that occurred on the Danziger Bridge on September 4th 2005. As Noel reflects back on what has been lost, the story that he tells about his neighborhood is affected by the story of innocent people gunned down while attempting to cross a bridge in search of safety, and for Noel their plight clarifies many things. Noel is performing his story, motivated by a collection of photographs that prompt him to recount events from his past and present. An implied author performs Noel who then performs other, who themselves are performing with varying degrees of self-consciousness. And in this manner a performative documentary comes into being. (49 min., 2013)
For most of his artistic career Lawrence Andrews work has functioned in a fine arts context, exhibiting in museums, galleries and festivals. His work has focused on issues of race, identity and power. His work has been realized in video, photography and installation, and audio projects. During recent years Mr. Andrews’ work has become increasingly involved with more traditional narrative and documentary methodologies while remaining committed to his core artistic concerns. His interests have expanded into reaching a broader audience with a wider demographic. His work has shown extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally on cable television, major film and art festivals, in museums and galleries, including the Whitney Biennial, The New York Museum of Modern Art, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Pacific Film Archive, and The American Film Institute. He has received various grants awards and fellowships in support of his work including a Rockefeller Intercultural Documentary Fellowship, and two National Endowment for the Arts Artist Fellowships.
SCREENING FOLLOWED BY DISCUSSION WITH:
Larry Andrews, Associate Professor, Film + Digital Media
Derek Murray, Assistant Professor, History of Art and Visual Culture
Soraya Murray, Assistant Professor, Film + Digital Media
Eric Porter, Professor, American Studies, History, and History of Consciousness