In a similar way to many other elements in this collection, Backyard Zooms illustrates JoAnn Elam’s experimentations with filmmaking and editing practices. In her backyard outside her house in Chicago, Elam first films the construction of a house using fast and slow motion, followed by the same house finished in a time-lapse fashion. The camera
As its title indicates, [Kids Playing on the Street] by JoAnn Elam consists of shots of children and teenagers playing and running around on the street, possibly in Chicago where Elam lived most of her life. Sometimes out of focus and slightly underexposed, this footage captures the vitality of its subjects, who also interact with
This footage by JoAnn Elam was probably shot in San Francisco, where Elam spent the “Summer of Love” in 1967 and which she perhaps visited again later. First rapidly edited, the footage then slows down to focus on rows of houses, the street numbers on their fa?ades, and their mail slots. As 37th Av. &
Back Porch (right),” along with its counterpart ” Back Porch (left),” appears to be a version of ” Backyard (Original) ” edited for presentation as double projection, in which the left and right portions of the film would be presented side by side simultaneously. In the film, JoAnn Elam documents the gardens, neighbors, and views
Back Porch (left),” along with its counterpart ” Back Porch (right),” appears to be a version of ” Backyard (Original) ” edited for presentation as double projection, in which the left and right portions of the film would be presented side by side simultaneously. In the film, JoAnn Elam documents the gardens, neighbors, and views
This 8mm film by JoAnn Elam was shot in Chicago around 1984. It features an unidentified woman, perhaps a neighbor, and (very briefly) Chuck Kleinhans, a film scholar who founded Jump Cut and a close friend of Elam’s to whom the title refers. Elam films Kleinhans outside a garage, walking on the street, and standing
This footage was most likely shot in a residential neighborhood of Chicago, where JoAnn Elam lived most of her life. The camera pans over the houses and the trees on the streets, revelling in their striking fall colors. As many elements from this collection demonstrate, Elam filmed her house, the places she visited, and the
Elam wanders about an art fair in “Palmer Square Art Fair ’85,” documenting the happenings of the event. Setting scale, the short begins on the outskirts of the festivities and then, slowly progresses inward examining several of the affair’s vendors. Elam takes particular looks at two fair facets, recording extended shots of a band performing
“Palmer Square Art Fair” documents the festive bustling at the eponymous park, a locale in several of Elam’s films. Elam pans around the park splitting focus on the diverse patrons and the diverse art represented at various stands.
Elam’s “El Shots,” sharing footage and theme with Elam’s “El,” sketches travel in Chicago. From people scurrying across intersections, to cars blurring down pavement, to watching buildings whizz by from an El-situated vantage (seemingly the Blue Line), Elam outlines how people orient the city as well as juxtaposes said locomotion with meandering individuals, e.g. children