Artist Cinema: The Calcified Ear by Veronica Charmont + Sabotage in Seven Acts by Ena Grozdanic

Artist Cinema with Veronica Charmont + Ena Grozdanic

‍Join us for Artist Cinema, where we are presenting curated pairings of artist cinema, video work, short films, or works in progress.

Veronica Charmont will present a new work titled 'The Calcified Ear'. 'The Calcified Ear' investigates the chemical architecture of our inner ear and the disorder Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. This common disorder evokes brief episodes of severe spinning and revolves around the displacement of microscopic crystals known as Otoconia. The film examines the chemical connections these crystals have to the formation of limestone rocks, and their continual relationship across organisms, land and sea. Shot on 16 mm, a crystalline medium, 'The Calcified Ear' synthesises chemistry and geology whilst contemplating how our bodies are inseparable to the compounds of the universe.

Ena Grozdanic will present a work titled 'Sabotage in Seven Acts'. ‘Sabotage in Seven Acts,’ is an exploration of a rumour of direct action to defend a river system. It takes this rumour, unverifiable, constantly mutating, and wonders what worlds it could birth—whether truth or fiction or somewhere in-between, the rumour forces us to ask: should we not all engage in minor acts of resistance? Does the disappearance of rivers not call for filibuster, for a sustained insurgency?

‘Sabotage in Seven Acts’ focuses on people on the frontlines, away from centres of policy and commerce. It imagines the very first collaborative act of sabotage: how did it feel to join an  autonomous and stealthy riot? What tactics were used to bog down construction? What was the smell of the air that night? The film contemplates the role of art during climate catastrophe, concluding that for disobedience to occur, the conditions for courage must be present - and if they’re not, they must be created. It commits itself to generating such conditions, to making the tools and actions of resistance seductive. 

Image by Veronica Charmont