Psychedelic Ethnography
SAW Video and Knot project space are proud to have hosted renowned American artist and filmmaker, Ben Russell, for a special presentation about his work. Through his many films, live performances, and curation, Russell has developed a dynamic practice committed to ethnographic methodologies and psychedelic phenomena. In this talk, Russell delved into the role that sound and image relationships play in his work, and presented excerpts of his films. This talk preceded the theatrical screening of Russell’s recent film, Good Luck, which will took place the following day on Saturday, April 21st at 2pm - a co-presentation between SAW Video Media Art Centre and The National Gallery of Canada.
Ben Russell (b.1976, USA) is an artist, filmmaker and curator whose work lies at the intersection of ethnography and psychedelia. His films and installations are in direct conversation with the history of the documentary image, providing a time-based inquiry into trance phenomena and evoking the research of Jean Rouch, Maya Deren and Michael Snow, among others. Russell received a 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship, a 2009 and 2017 FIPRESCI International Critics Prize and has presented his work at documenta 14, MOMA NYC, Tate Modern, and the Centre Pompidou. Curatorial projects include Magic Lantern (Providence, USA, 2005-2007), BEN RUSSELL (Chicago, USA, 2009-2011), and Hallucinations (Athens, Greece, 2017). He currently resides in Los Angeles.