“Garden ’82” studies what appears to be Elam’s Logan Square backyard, a locale frequently used in Elam’s work. The footage focuses on the space of the garden: sequencing together various vantage of the garden-the camera either fixed or panning steadily and slowly and concluding by taking note of the garden’s vegetation at an eye level
“Windows” retracts in and out from the longing vantage of several windows (seemingly ones of Elam’s Logan Square home). Beginning in a dark room, the short immediately depicts contrasting environments, in- and outside, which are brought to juxtaposition via these windows. Tromboning, the camera focuses on objects outside, e.g. a discarded box of Miller Lite
Through a decent amount of visual noise, “Cats & Kittens” parallels, in two sections, the quaint evening happenings of a group of humans and cats. Opening around a dinner table, the film depicts a chummy group: drinking Old Style and finishing a meal (a group which includes JoAnn Elam herself). The intial section continues in
This film’s images consist of recreational types barbequing and loitering about a backyard superimposed on seemingly a spatial survey of the same backyard which houses said peoples’ leisure. This simultaneous rendering of setting and action creates a dream-like wandering through what is presumably Elam’s Logan Square backyard, as depicted in her film “Backyard (Original)” and
“[Christmas Lights & Snowy Morning]” consists of two parts. The first section staggers around a dark room tinged with red light, recording a female figure in a white tee shirt as she fiddles with Christmas lights. The second, beginning nearly exactly halfway, opens with peering out a small window onto a snowy morning, the second
“Fire on Wayne” consists of Elam capturing smoke and flames billowing out of a home. Through longer, observational shots (opposed to Elam’s oft disposition for brevity), Elam documents, through a grainy, blue-hued frame, not only the incident, but also an assortment of firefighters and on-lookers reacting to the fire.
“Belden & Kimball” lurks around a porch, seemingly the same elevated overlook Elam used to shoot from in several of her other works, e.g. “Janssen Porch/Garden ’79.” This piece distinguishes itself because, rather than looking beyond, the majority of this footage notes the lay out of the porch space itself, noting its d?cor and structure.
Elam’s “Janssen Porch/Garden ’79” opens bewilderingly focused on wavering tree branches. Panning away, the camera, from high a vantage, notes the environment, e.g. neighboring buildings and the garden below (this is seemingly the same Logan Square garden that frequents Elam’s work). The camera, focusing on blossoming flowers and vegetables, descends to the garden and proceeds
Elam’s “Rhinos & Black” consists of two sections: the former pans around a kitchen table as female company (including Elam herself in a red plaid shirt) chuckles and communes together over a meal;the latter section (approximately four of the five minute runtime) cuts to black only to relent with occasional flickers and flares.
“Girl in Dome” surveys the playtime of a young child. Toddling around a yard, the child plays as the camera remains close over her shoulder. With time, the cuts grow progressively rapid, and the film shifts to seemingly the same child from the yard’s birthday party: the child blows out the cake’s candles and the