EVENT, SCREENING, SCREENING + Q&A
A Common Sequence
Saturday, Mar 18, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Location: Redstone Theater
Part of First Look 2023 and Science on Screen
With Mary Helena Clark and Mike Gibisser in person
Dirs. Mary Helena Clark, Mike Gibisser. Mexico/U.S. 2023, 78 mins. Transporting us from the banks of a dying lake in Pátzcuaro, Mexico, to the apple orchards of Prosser, Washington, to the lands of the Cheyenne River Sioux, this singular essay film juxtaposes three disparate, present-tense situations to lay bare the enmeshed problems beneath the surface of our visible reality: depletion and conservation, extraction and cultivation. By comparing the nuns and fisherman of Pátzcuaro, both economically tethered to an endangered salamander of legendary regenerative properties, to the growers in Prosser’s apple industry, who look to devise new patents and automated harvesting machines, and finally to the work of an indigenous medical researcher who warns of the commodification of ethnic DNA, Clark and Gibisser extrapolate a foreboding vision of humanity’s future on earth, where the commons (resources shared by all) seem to be receding as swiftly and imperceptibly as our coastal shorelines. Woven with coolly framed images and carefully layered sounds, and edited with Hitchcockian suspense, A Common Sequence is a richly generative, open-ended experience from two of the most exciting filmmakers at work today. New York premiere
A Science on Screen selection.
Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.
About the Filmmakers:
Mary Helena Clark is an artist working in film, video, and installation. Her work has been exhibited at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, New York Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Cinéma du Réel, Viennale, Anthology Film Archives, ICA London, MIT List Visual Arts Center, and the 2017 Whitney Biennial, among others.
Mike Gibisser is a filmmaker and artist interested in navigating the indefinite lines between essay, narrative, experimental, and documentary work. He has presented work at numerous festivals, including Toronto, New York, Edinburgh, AFI, Oberhausen, and the Harvard Film Archive. He is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.