Dances For Camera - Dance Film Festival

Please join us for “Dances for Camera” on Saturday, April 23rd from 3-5 pm and/or Wednesday, April 27th from 6-8 pm. Two distinct programs at the San Francisco Public Library will showcase highlights from the San Francisco Dance Film Festival, with some of the best dance films from around the globe, selected out of more than 100 entries from 25 countries.

These short experimental dance pieces are created specifically for the camera, independent from the traditional stage. Interpretations can range from narratives to collages of music, movement and images, sometimes including the use of animation and other new media. Local directors will be available for Q&A following the screenings.

Saturday, April 23rd
Screendance shorts program, 3pm
The Watch (USA, 2010) 3 min Director: Shal Ngo & Ryan McNamara
- A playful collaboration between a filmmaker, a fashion designer and young freelance dancers in New York.

Drift (USA, 2010) 8 min
Director/Choreographer: Eric Garcia & Kat Cole
- With no destination in mind, a pair of vagabonds hitchhike, stumble, and inch their way through striking landscapes.

Study for an Underwater Film (Sweden, 2010) 3 min
Director/Choreographer: Pontus Lidberg
- An early study for a potential new film by the award-winning Swedish choreographer/filmmaker, filmed in Sweden and at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Marin.

There is a Place (UK/China, 2010) 7 min
Director: Katrina McPherson Choreographer: Sang Jijia
- Soloist Sang Jijia, an ethnic Tibetan born in Gansu, struggles with his position in the world.

Cea (Canada, 2006) 4 min
Director: Robert Prowse Choreographer: Andrea Pass
- The slow, melodic rhythms and quiet energy of this film offer a powerful dichotomy to the frenetic pace of today’s dominant urban culture. The movement flows with the grace of poetry to an original score that takes us back through our collective rural history.

The Perfect Vacuum (Canada, 2010) 6 min
Director: Alana Cymerman Choreographer: Benjamin Hatcher
- Mona left a glamorous life back home because of war. Now, she finds home in vacuum dancing.

The Wait of Gravity (Italy/USA, 2010) 5 min
Director: Renata Sheppard Choreographer: Renata Sheppard & Caitlin Marz
- A human form shifts in and out of a relationship with gravity in an elusive architectural space—a journey of sound, vision, and kinesthetics.

The Greater the Weight (Canada, 2008) 5 min
Director: Marlene Millar & Philip Szporer Choreographer: Dana Michel
- Dancer and choreographer Dana Michel assembles extremely physical movement—a remnant from her previous training in track and touch football—with mathematical precision and poetic improvisation: The result is an exploration of the body as an instrument in a symphony of rupture and flow.

Connect 4 (USA, 2006) 3 min
Director/Choreographer: Nadia Oussenko
- Four dancers work within four spaces of a warehouse to connect a single movement phrase.

Feature Presentation, 4pm

Finite & Infinite Games (USA, 2010) 45 min Director: RJ Muna Choreographer: Katherine Fisher
- The San Francisco premiere of local filmmaker RJ Muna’s Finite and Infinite Games, choreographed by former ODC dancer Kate Fisher and shot in New York City’s Judson Memorial Church. Includes documentary about the making of the film.

Wednesday, April 27th
Screendance shorts program, 6pm
Motel Deception (Australia, 2009) 5min
Director/Choreographer: Chrissie Parrot
- A seedy motel room, money and a gun set the scene for a very physical confrontation between the scheming Clare and Dexter.

After the Water the Clouds (Netherlands/Spain, 2009) 10 min
Director/Choreographer: Carmen Rozestraten
- Playful and poetic voyage of a young Catalan woman, whose world becomes surreal as she encounters mythical and unusual characters.

Light in Warped Time (USA, 2010) 7 min
Director: Jennifer Schwed Choreographer: Lucy Bowen McCauley
- A fantastical exploration of the desire to be free from social boundaries.

Texas Plates (USA, 2010) 3 min
Director/Choreographer: Marta Renzi
- A playful roadside romance set to music by country artist Patti Scialfa.

Kaleidoscope (USA, 2010) 7 min
Director: Kate Duhamel Choreographer: Jason Samuels Smith

Entre Nous (USA/UK 2010) 7 min
Director/Choreographer: Blair Brown
- An intimate look at the body in motion and an exploration of the emotions behind the ideas of separation, vulnerability, and loneliness.

January (USA, 2009) 4 min
Director: RJ Muna Choreographer: Rachael Lincoln
- A solo made within the real and imagined confines of winter. In a slate-walled room with chalk dust as snow, a woman follows her mind's small agitations as she meditates on the passage of time.

Stronger (UK, 2010) 4 min
Director/Choreographer: Wilkie Branson
- Two new-found companions embark on a journey adventuring up a wooded mountain.

Feature Presentation, 7pm
The Nightingale (USA/SF, 2011) 21 min
Director: Greta Schoenberg
- A short narrative in classic 1940s film noir style, shot entirely in San Francisco with an all-local cast and crew of dancers, musicians, and visual artists.

Q & A to follow

Both programs will be presented in the Main Library's Koret Auditorium. All library programs are free and open to the public.

Reading List:

Dance On Camera: A Guide To Dance Films And Videos, edited By Louise Spain (Scarecrow Press, 1998).

Modern Dance & Ballet On Film & Video: A Catalog, compiled And edited By Susan Braun (Dance Films Association, 1986).

Reading About East German Cinema

Starting April 15, the Free University of San Francisco is bringing a pair of five week classes on cinema to the San Francisco Public Library’s Main Library. For five Fridays (April 15-May 20, excluding May 6) Rand Crook will present Responsive Cinema to Corporate Empire: Workshop from 2:00 to 3:45 PM and Jim Morton will present East German Cinema: A History from 4:00-5:30 PM. Both classes will be held in the Library’s Koret Auditorium.

For those wishing to read up on the subject of East German cinema the library has the following books on the subject:

DEFA: East German Cinema, 1946-1992 is a collection of scholarly essays about DEFA, the Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft, the primary film studio throughout the nation’s history. Those essays cover individual filmmakers and issues like censorship, the depiction of women and of youth rebellion. This book also provides an appendix of “Research Sources for East German Cinema” which provides leads for renting and buying these films.

Hollywood Behind the Wall by Daniela Berghahn is a complete history of East German cinema. It looks in-depth at several films and contextualizes these films within the Soviet bloc and compares them with those of West Germany.

The JSTOR database provides dozens of full-text articles about East German Cinema. This database lacks subject access, so the best way to search this topic is with keywords like “East Germany” “cinema” “GDR” “DDR” and “DEFA.” Library patrons can access this database with their library card number and PIN.

The Library also has DVDs of the following East German films:

Rotation (1949)
Goya - oder Der arge Weg der Erkenntnis (1971)
Jakob der Lügner (1975)
Schneeweisschen und Rosenrot (1979)
Coming Out (1989)

The two DVD set Das war die DDR (1993) uses footage created by the DEFA studios to trace the history and culture of East German.

Reading list:

DEFA: East German Cinema, 1946-1992, edited by Seán Allan and John Sandford.
(Berghahn Books, 2003).

Hollywood Behind the Wall: The Cinema of East Germany by Daniela Berghahn (Manchester University Press, 2005).

With Needle and Thread. . . .

"My Window and the Cat in the Corner" by Cher Delamere

Quilting is presumed to have originated thousands of years ago in the Orient. The technique was used to strengthen textiles that were fragile as well as to produce layered covers and clothing for protection against the cold.

Quilted fabric consists of three layers of cloth. The central layer is a padding of wool, cotton or other material; the layers are held together by continuous lines of stitches. It is generally believed that this technique was brought back to Europe from the Near East by the Crusaders. The soldiers, in their bulky full armor, were often defeated by a more agile enemy clad in light quilted shirts and chainmail. European quilted armor shirts quickly became popular and were usually made from linen cloth stuffed with padding.


After firearms were introduced, quilted armor shirts became obsolete, but by then the quilting technique had been adapted for the production of various utilitarian textiles such as quilted coverlets, jackets, cloaks, petticoats, vests and children’s clothes.

The fabrics used for quilting were usually linen, silk or cotton. These fabrics would be filled with carded wool or cotton, although at times simpler materials like feathers, leaves and straw were also used. Poorhouses and orphanages often had bedding made from cotton bags filled with paper.

Due to the fragile nature of textiles, it is hard to determine whether patchwork or quilting is the older technique. Patchwork is roughly defined as sewing small pieces of cloth to and onto each other. Most people use the term patchwork interchangeably for “pieced work” and appliqué.

In the past, the materials used for patchwork have included rind, husks, felt, cloth made from animal and plant fibers, leather and fur. The choice of materials depended upon what was available and who was doing the work. Frequently leftover rags and scraps were used and repurposed into bedcovers and other items.

The oldest surviving example of patchwork is an Egyptian canopy quilt from 980 BCE. In Central Asia, an example of felt appliqué in the form of a saddle blanket has been dated to the 6th-4th century BCE. In the early 20thcentury, some costly silk textiles put together in rectangular patchwork manner were discovered in India that dated back to the 6th-9th centuries CE.


Quilting, patchwork and appliqué have thrived in many forms and cultures throughout the centuries. These techniques are still popular today and are being practiced less as a necessity or tradition and more as a leisure activity and art form. It is estimated that there are about seven million quilt makers in the United States alone. Specialty shops that offer quilt-making resources and instruction can be found online and in every major city. Each year more books are published and quilts are getting more attention as an art form in museum and gallery exhibitions.

The Main Library is currently celebrating the craft of quilting and patchwork with two displays. The 5th floor is presenting the exhibit Primal Green: Environmental Art Quilts through July 30. On the 4th floor, we have made a display of some of the quilting books from the collection through June 1.

Source: The History of the Patchwork Quilt: Origins, Tradition and Symbols of a Textile Art by Schnuppe von Gwinner (Schiffer Publishing, 1988) [on order and available through Link+]


Reading list:

Art + Quilt: Design Principles and Creativity Exercises by Lyric Kinard (Interweave Press, 2009).

The Art of Machine Piecing: How to Achieve Quality Workmanship through a Colorful Journey by Sally Collins (C&T Pub., 2001).

Beautifully Embellished Landscapes: 125 Tips & Techniques to Create Stunning Quilts by Joyce R. Becker (C&T Pub., 2006).

Color and Cloth: The Quiltmaker's Ultimate Workbook by Mary Coyne Penders (Quilt Digest Press, 1989).

The Quilting Arts Book by Patricia Bolton (Interweave Press LLC, 2008).

Ruth B. McDowell's Piecing Workshop: Step-by-step Visual Guide--Indispensable Reference for Quilters--Bonus projects (C&T Pub., 2007).

The 24/7 Creative Life

Artists. We harbor so many myths and fantasies about them. They are either starving unknowns, living in poverty and working at their art full-time (à la Van Gogh), or they are flamboyant geniuses achieving fame and fortune (think Picasso and Warhol).

If an artist needs a money to live until his or her art commands huge prices, then one often-preferred path is to become an art teacher. Although the romantic idea of doing one’s work in a classroom while sharing one’s creative thoughts with an eager audience of students is desirable, the reality is often very different. There just aren’t enough teaching jobs to go around.

So for most artists the middle road between starvation and fame looks more like this: Waking up and readying themselves for work, working a full-time day job, often eight hours a day, five days a week. Painting, performing or writing is saved for after work, weekends or vacations. Artists often get frustrated and dream of the day they will become “legit,” working at their art full-time instead of being a “slave to the system.”

An artist, musician and writer herself, Summer Pierre has tackled this problem head-on in her new book, The Artist in the Office – How to Creatively Survive and Thrive Seven Days a Week. In her introduction she writes: “This little book isn’t about not working, it’s about acknowledging the work we do. It’s about waking up in the life we inhabit now instead of putting off life for later.”

Source: summerpierre's collections on Flickr

She goes on to offer practical advice on “how to focus and get your creative work done while keeping a job as well as your sanity." Some of her tips include:

1. Lunchtime adventures
2. Creative commute.
3. Make work an object of creativity.
4. Job searching tips.
5. Ways to find time (limit television, internet, etc).
6. Take a class.

Lavishly illustrated with amusing drawings, The Artist in the Office will help anyone thrive at both their creative work and their day job.

The Artist in the Office: How to Creatively Survive and Thrive Seven Days a Week by Summer Pierre (Penguin Group, 2010).

Photographing San Francisco: Digital Field Guide

One of the reasons why San Francisco is one of the top tourist destinations in the world is the stunning combination of the physical landscape and lived environment of our city. For that reason it’s understandable that a full-length instructional manual, Photographing San Francisco by Bruce Sawle, would be written for our fair city.

The book contains 28 chapters, each devoted to a photogenic location within our city. Some of these chapters are written about individual neighborhoods like North Beach, Chinatown and Downtown (the Financial District and Civic Center). Others are dedicated destinations like our city’s museums or destinations in Golden Gate Park like the Conservatory of Flowers, the Japanese Tea Guard, the Windmills, and the Japanese Tea Garden.

Each chapter explains why it’s worthwhile photographing at each location, what are the best positions from which to take a picture, and what is the ideal equipment to employ. The author suggests the best times of day to capture picture the perfect picture. Each image shown in the book gives information about ISO, the aperture, shutter speed and the write lens to use.

A guide like Photographing San Francisco provides the novice photographer with guidance to master the medium of digital photography. While these exercises will take you to the City's famed beauty spots touted in all tourist guides, it can help the photographer to see the city with fresh eyes and use it as a palette to hone ones craft.


Photographing San Francisco: Digital Field Guide by Bruce Sawle (Wiley, 2010).

Come Up And See My Etchings Sometime...

Pont d'Espagne - High Pyrenees (from the Spain - Views folder)

The Etching and Engraving Picture File is a collection of illustrations culled from mid19th - early 20th century magazines. Some of the magazines clipped include the Illustrated London News, Harper's Monthly, the French magazine L'Illustration, and Scientific American. This collection is a wonderful resource for artists and crafters and others who can use copyright-free illustrations.

The Colossal Elephant of Coney Island (from the Amusements folder)

When you visit the Main Library, come the 4th floor to see a small display, Come Up And See My Etchings Sometime. This display, adjacent to the staircase near the Art, Music & Recreation Center reference desk, features reproductions of images from the Etching and Engraving Picture File.

The illustrations in this collection are filed in folders organized into more than 4,500 alphatbetical subject headings, from "Abbeys" to "Zoos - Philadelphia." These subject headings are listed in the Etching and Engraving Picture File Index.

See also: San Francisco Public Library Art, Music and Recreation Center blog entries using Etching and Engraving Picture File Images.

Putnam's Escape at Horse Neck (in the United States - History - Revolution (Leaders) folder)

Garage Bands from the 60s, Then and Now

Garage Bands from the 60s, Then and Now: The San Francisco East Bay Scene is a survey of the rock bands of Alameda and Contra Costa counties and the scene that supported them . As the Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World defines them, garage bands were amateur bands in the United States inspired by “British invasion” bands. They came to be known by this name because the garage was the default rehearsal space for these largely suburban, high school-aged musicians. Though the Encyclopedia notes that these bands were often “characterized more by enthusiasm than technical skill,” some musicians did go on to have careers in music.

The concert promoter Bill Quarry was perhaps the central person in this scene. He established the Teens N’ Twenties dances and concerts that became a central part of the East Bay’s youth culture. Venues like Frenchy’s A Go-Go in Hayward and the Rollerama in San Leandro brought in nationally famous talent. He frequently employed local acts to open these shows, providing a platform to move from the garage to the stage.

Most of the book is devoted to short chapters about noteworthy bands from that time and place. Some of these are actual interviews with the musicians. You can read about one of the East Bay’s most famous bands, The Tower of Power, and learn how some of the members originally played in garage bands like the Gotham City Crime Fighters and The Motowns. Author Bruce Tahsler also catches up with many of the musicians to learn of their lives after they hung up their guitars.

source: Bill Quarry's Teens N' Twenties

Garage Bands from the 60s is full of illustrations--pictures of the bands and musicians then and now, as well as concert posters. These images are also available, sometimes in color, Bill Quarry's website. At the end of the book there is a list of clubs and venues, a selective discography, and page listing hundreds of band names (who knew there was an East Bay garage band named Public Library?).

Garage Bands from the 60's, Then and Now: The San Francisco East Bay Scene (2nd edition), stories written and edited by Bruce Tahsler (Teens N' Twenties Pub., 2007).


Enjoy a selection of East Bay sounds:


Baytovens - “Waiting for you”


Jimmy Cicero - "Sherrie"


Crystal Garden - "Peach Fuzz Forest"


The Epics - "Humpty Dumpty"


The Harbinger Complex - "I Think I’m Down"


Peter Wheat & the Breadmen - “Baby what’s new”


The Rear Exit - "Excitation"


The Savonics - "I Had a Girl"


The Sypders - "I Can Take Care of Myself"


The Staton Brothers - "Oh, Did I Miss Her"


The Tears - "Weatherman"


Tower of Power - "Sparkling in the Sand" (originally from the 1970 album “East Bay Grease” as performed at the 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival)