The Blaffer Art Museum had its final installment of the On Screen series Thursday that featured an artist’s first feature film.
Also a filmmaker, Stephanie Barber presented her film, “Daredevils.” The first half of the film consists of a dialogue between a writer, KimSu Theiler, and an artist she admires, Flora Coker.
Throughout the scene, the artist talks not only about her history of works but also about her life experiences, including moving to Florida, volunteering to save the swamps and the perfume-creating process.
“I’m interested in the interview format in general,” Barber said. “I’m interested in all forms of conversations, and I made a lot of films and other kinds of products that were about mapping out the formal aspects.”
The dialogue turns from an interview into a therapy session for the writer. When asked whether she had ever been in a similar situation, Barber said she has had some interviews that have gone the same way.
“It’s what you think about when you’re having good conversation is a nice balance,” Barber said. “It’s an interesting way to format a dialogue.”
Although the film has a slight feminist slant, Barber said it’s not what the film’s about.
“It certainly has something to do with women who make art,” Barber said. “In a dream world, a sort of post-utopia, a post-gender utopia, it would not have anything to do with women; it’s just art.”
Painting senior Javier Pulido said the film evoked his artistic instincts at some points.
“As a painter, I look for still moments in the film,” Pulido said. “I think about which parts would make a great painting.”
One of his favorite moments in the film was when the city came in through the windows.
“It zoomed in and it cropped only to the lights,” Pulido said. “I thought that was a really beautiful moment. I guess it’s kind of like a moving painting.”
Although painting senior Qindeel Butt had not heard of the film, she was glad that her professor recommended it.
“There were a lot of things that the artist and the writer were talking about that were pretty relevant to me as well as being able to start up, wanting to do something in the art world, so I guess I kind of felt in the same place as the writer, maybe,” Butt said. “You see someone who’s so confident and kind of has things figured out, and you want that as well. I saw myself in the film.”
