The first part of Soap + Fire consists of a panning shot (left to right) over bottles and boxes of cleaning supply, which JoAnn Elam might have thought of including in Daytime Television (date unknown) or some other project devoted to women’s place in society and the “politics of housework.” The second part shows the
This title by JoAnn Elam includes a close-up of a dog food label (out of focus), what appears to be typed title cards for Elam’s film Lie Back and Enjoy It (1982), and shots of paper documents like The Last Whole Earth Catalog, a handwritten note that reads “The joys of love are not a
8mm See It / Cabena Test shows a man standing on a fire escape followed by a woman walking back and forth inside what looks like a store (possibly of photography equipment). As the title indicates, JoAnn Elam might have been doing some tests for a project she was working on. Elam might also have
In this footage shot from the inside of a house and through a window’s curtains, one can sometimes distinguish the colorful flowers in the yard outside. But, as in much of her other film work, JoAnn Elam is apparently more interested in filming textures, light, and colors. Panning over the curtains at various speed, the
Like some other elements in this collection, this footage by JoAnn Elam is somewhat inscrutable. The image is mostly faint, except for a few shots of what could be some plants or crops in a field in the middle, perhaps in Monterey, MA. However, the date and location remain uncertain and this footage only testifies
“[Syrup Production]” opens establishing locale, Monterey Maple (via signage), and in so, Elam adds another visual representation of Monterey to the several already in her oeuvre, e.g. “Monterey 85,” “Monterey Maple Farm 81,” et cetera. Through meandering pans, Elam traces the supply chain of maple syrup production;from tree-bucket to bottle, Elam slides down the line,
This element by JoAnn Elam consists of two title cards written in gold letters against a black background. The first one reads “JoAnn Elam,” the filmmaker’s name, and the second one “Close to Home,” which might have been the title of a project Elam was working on. A few other elements from this collection, mainly
“Jack-O-Lanterns” weaves forward and backward, rendering a pair of jack-o-lanterns in a milieu of grainy visual noise from a variety of perspectives-at times obscuring the re-utilized pumpkins.
“J.E. Titles” briefly marquees the filmmakers name. Steeped in a film grain milieu, white letters (similar to those strewn about in Elam’s “Letter & Dishes)” spell out “JOANN ELAM,” contrasting against a navy background.
Similarly to Elam’s other sink-centric work, e.g. “Letters and Dishes,” “Joe and Greens” takes note of a pair of hands in and around a kitchen faucet. At work, these worn hands meticulously prepare vegetables: de-stemming kale, washing (what appears to be) radishes, and tossing lettuce about soapy water. The man on screen is Joe Hendrix,