"Cinema by Other Means, a Symposium"

International Symposium with a companion film program at Stadtkino Basel

Pavle Levi's pathbreaking essay and subsequent book Cinema by Other Means explore a lesser-known history of artistic experiments that move through and around – even against – the idea of film. This canon of works of art that Levi assembled and assessed, from “paper films” to performance films to imaginary films and more, stretched from the early 20th century avant-gardes to alternative art in the socialist era in Europe – with a special focus on the pre-war and post-war Yugoslavia. Its practitioners included film makers, poets, writers, photographers and many others who had a passionate interest in cinema – so much so that they conceptually disassembled it, reverse-engineered it, and created works that were both a loving homage as well as critical questioning of the art form. As such, Cinema by Other Means became the rare, widely-accessible, book-length study that trained a rigorous and inquisitive gaze on the historical intersections between film and art in Yugoslavia, and even in the wider region of Eastern Europe.

On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of this defining text, we will gather researchers and curators to contemplate the various contexts surrounding Levi’s project and to extend its significance in novel directions.

In addition to presentations and panel discussions, there will be a companion film program presented at Stadtkino Basel.

Veranstaltung übernehmen als iCal