Minute Bodies: The Intimate World of F. Percy Smith

Dir. Stuart A. Staples. 2016, 55 mins. Obsessed with the natural world and an expert tinkerer in moving image technology, filmmaker and self-taught naturalist Frank Percy Smith made incredible microscopic, time-lapse, and underwater films at the beginning of the 20th century. He captured insects juggling, mold reproducing, and plant roots traveling. In this film, Stuart Staples, lead of the British band Tindersticks and a longtime composer for Claire Denis, excavates Smith’s films from the BFI archives and detaches them from their original educational context. Collaged into a hypnotic hour-long experience, and presented with a new musical score, viewers can appreciate Smith’s pure photography, astonishing technique, and timeless gaze.  

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free for MoMI members at the Senior/Student level and above. 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.