Popcorn” begins with a teenaged boy reading from an unknown text inside a living room. JoAnn Elam is seen knitting, presumably nearby, before entering the kitchen and proceeding to cook popcorn on the stovetop. Each step is filmed in extreme close-up, with an emphasis on hands and tactility. This attention to process is similar to
Similar to her “Back Porch” films, JoAnn Elam’s “Front Porch” documents the scenes of life in her neighborhood in Chicago. The film pays especial attention to the light flowing through different branches and leaves of plant growth and the rhythm of a gentle breeze swaying the blinds on the window. These patterns and abstractions repeat
The film was made in response to an evening during which a number of male members of Chicago’s experimental film scene gathered at JoAnn’s house and proceeded to ignore both her and the chocolate cake she made for the occasion. The film consists of a series of shots documenting the making of a chocolate cake,
One of the longest of the garden films in the JoAnn Elam Collection, “Garden 85″ appears to document the entirety of the 1985 growing season of Elam’s backyard garden in Logan Square, Chicago. From the beginning, Elam is shown preparing the land and planting the crops, with some of the earliest footage directly related to
A visit to JoAnn Elam’s apartment by two parents and a child, likely Ric, Jane, and Avery, respectively. In the kitchen they play with Avery and a dog and prepare food with ingredients from the spice rack. These were likely friends of JoAnn’s, though further information about them and the date of production remain unknown.
Similar to other garden films in the JoAnn Elam Collection, “Garden 84” features Elam and, briefly, her second husband Joe Hendrix, at work in Elam’s Logan Square garden. Occasionally utilizing experimental techniques like fast-motion or rapid editing, the film shows different stages of gardening, from preparing and planting plots of land to reaping the harvest
Garden #2″ documents JoAnn Elam, her second husband Joe Hendrix, and an unidentified man in the backyard garden of Elam’s Logan Square apartment in Chicago. The camera appears to be passed from person to person as it records them tending the garden, barbecuing, and drinking Old Style beer while playing with a cat. This film
84 Garden 2″ documents JoAnn Elam working in the garden of her Logan Square residence in Chicago. Based on her consistent outfit, the film appears to have been shot during a single day at work and primarily features Elam tending to young sprouts previously planted in the plots of land. The relationship of the film
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