B/W silver gelatin photograph with watercolor and photo dye. 18 9/16 x 18 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches (frame size). Photo: Ian Byers-Gamber.
To create this work I accessed footage shot in 1897 by Alice Guy-Blache, who is known as the first female filmmaker and who was key to the invention of narrative cinema. I chose to work with Guy-Blache’s film of Mrs. Bob Walter performing Walter’s version of the “Serpentine dance,” created by Loie Fuller. I wanted to address the double erasure the film represents - not only has Alice Guy-Blache been under-recognized for her work, but because Loie Fuller couldn’t copyright her dance, she was heavily imitated. According to archivists, there is no existing film footage of Fuller performing her dance.
When creating a film quilt from the footage, I chose a pattern that could mimic the kind of circular movement the dancer performs for the camera. The seams in the quilt cut off various parts of the dancer’s body, creating new forms that are in keeping with interpretations of the billowing dress, which can resemble flowers or insects.
Because Loie Fuller combined her choreography with projected light onto her silk costumes, early film documenting the Serpentine dance was hand-painted to replicate the colored lighting. I took a photo of my “Serpentine Dance Film Quilt Square” and printed it as a silver gelatin photograph, and then hand-painted the dress using watercolors and photo dyes.
B/W silver gelatin photograph with watercolor and photo dye. 18 9/16 x 18 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches (frame size). Photo: Ian Byers-Gamber.
B/W silver gelatin photograph with watercolor and photo dye. 18 9/16 x 18 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches (frame size). Photo: Ian Byers-Gamber.
B/W silver gelatin print. 16 x 16 inches (artwork size). 18 9/16 x 18 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches (frame size). Photo: Ian Byers-Gamber.
B/W silver gelatin print. 16 x 16 inches (artwork size). 18 9/16 x 18 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches (frame size). Photo: Ian Byers-Gamber.
B/W silver gelatin print. 18 x 18 inches (artwork size). 22 9/16 x 22 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches (frame size). Photo: Ian Byers-Gamber.
B/W silver gelatin print. 16 x 16 inches (artwork size). 18 9/16 x 18 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches (frame size). Photo: Ian Byers-Gamber.
B/W silver gelatin print. 16 x 16 inches (artwork size). 18 9/16 x 18 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches (frame size). Photo: Joshua White Photography.