In this footage from 1984, JoAnn Elam films a television playing the popular comedy National Lampoon’s Vacation (Harold Ramis, 1983) with Chevy Chase. The image alternates between normal and inverted, with Elam perhaps playing with familiarity of the images on TV. As other elements in this collection show, Elam was interested in popular representation of
This 8mm home movie from the JoAnn Elam Collection shows Elam gardening outside her home in Chicago around 1984 and captures Elam’s interest in gardening, farming, and nature in general. The relationship of the film to ” Ice Lakes – Garden 1 ’84 ” (F.2011-01-0104) and ” 84 Garden 2 ” (F.2011-01-0103) remains unclear, though
This footage by JoAnn Elam was taken during the 52nd National Convention of the American National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) that was held in Atlanta, GA from August 10 through 16, 1980. From outside the Georgia World Congress Center, it shows the streets of Atlanta and its skyscrapers, as well as NALC delegates heading
This footage was most likely shot in 1984 in Monterey, MA, which JoAnn Elam visited several times in the early 1980s. Despite being underexposed, one sees the woods around Elam, a few people coming in and leaving the frame, and chickens on the farm. Like many other elements in this collection, mainly Monterey ’84, Monterey
In this footage, JoAnn Elam first films her surroundings from a fixed standpoint and out of focus. The cars, the house, the people, and the nature that one distinguishes look like the elements of an Impressionist painting seen from up close, where one is immersed in shapes and colors. Next, Elam becomes a voyeur inside
As its title indicates, this footage was taken at Garfield Park Conservatory in the west side of Chicago, during the Christmas Flower Show of 1984. JoAnn Elam films from inside the greenhouse and she first seems more interested in the glass structure than in the plants and flowers on display. The image is dark and
Shot around 1983, this footage first shows a man working on a farm and it exemplifies JoAnn Elam’s fascination for farm labor. The rest is rather dark, but it seems to be set inside Elam’s house, where the silhouette of a cat playing with a plant appears by the window. As many elements in this
This footage from 1984 shows JoAnn Elam’s neighborhood after a snowstorm, most likely in Chicago. Elam films the snowy alleys and houses first from outside and then from inside her house through the windows. The camera is eventually back outside on the street, where we see Elam toss keys to a bearded man (possibly her
Shot in 1982 near Washington, D.C., this footage shows JoAnn Elam relaxing in her backyard with a dog, her husband Joe Hendrix mowing the lawn, and the husband of a friend Elam and Hendrix were probably visiting. In the second part, the camera turns its attention to the street and the fa?ade of the house.
Shot around 1981, this footage shows JoAnn Elam watching a few men (including her second husband Joe Hendrix) inspect their sports car, followed by a few shots of the farm where the scene takes place (location unknown). When Elam appears on screen, Hendrix is probably the person behind the camera, although this should not weaken