Sequencing Objects: Two Films

Museum of Art Museum of Art

Exhibition: Sequencing Objects: Two Films

Dates:

Location:

Media Gallery
Two short films by contemporary artists present things that seem to have minds of their own.

Selected Works

Film still from "Telephones," 1995, by Christian Marclay, American and Swiss, born 1955. Museum Purchase, Lloyd O. and Marjorie Strong Coulter Fund. © Christian Marclay. Courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York.
"The Way Things Go," 1987, directed by Peter Fischli and David Weiss, Swiss. Courtesy Icarus Films.

About

Two short films by contemporary artists present things that seem to have minds of their own. In The Way Things Go (1987), by the celebrated Swiss duo Peter Fischli and David Weiss, a chain reaction between everyday objects extends over thirty minutes. Amazingly inventive and hugely entertaining, the film makes you wonder what happens when things are left alone.

In Telephones (1995), Christian Marclay masterfully stitches together excerpts from well-known Hollywood movies, sequencing clips along the narrative arc of a telephone call. Marclay’s editing transforms the telephone into a leading protagonist that not only guarantees visual cohesion but also makes for a dramatic sound track.

Organized in conjunction with The Object Show: Discoveries in Bowdoin Collection.