Three lookes that converge on a common axis, analog film. Three of the more than 60 self-managed laboratories in existence around the world have many experiences that go through the management of space, common pro and Community processes, the management of teamwork, the exchange of knowledge and information, in areas where the particular materiality of things is an indispensable element, and all this is illuminated by the various artistic and aesthetic expressions that spring to mind in these very special contexts. Lichun Tseng from the lab Filmwerkplaats of Rotterdam, Joyce Lainé from the lab Atelier MTK of Grenoble, Lucie Leszez from the lab L’abominable de Paris share their gaze with Glória Vilches, coordinator of Xcentric.

Lichun Tseng of the lab Filmwerkplaats of Rotterdam, WORM-managed film laboratory. A workspace dedicated to the practice of analogue bricolage, aimed at artists interested in cinema as an expressive and physical medium. Filmwerkplaats is part of a wider network of artists-managed laboratories in Europe and functions as a center for new experiments and discussions around filmmaking. Our screening program covers a wide range of themes, showing works by members and guest filmmakers throughout the year. We believe in promoting the full potential of the medium, and we always seek to explore the possibilities of cinema as a performing and touching material.

Joyce Lainé of the lab Atelier MTK of Grenoble. ATELIER MTK, founded in 1992 by a group of filmmakers, is a handmade film laboratory equipped to work with 16 mm film. Dedicated to artistic training and development in the context of analogue cinema, with special interest in author work and in the inclusion of all elements of the process (camera, printing, film disclosure, montage, sound, projection) as parts of the creative development of film pieces.

Lucie Leszez del lab L’abominable de Paris. L’Abominable is a cinematographic laboratory operated by artists located near Paris since 1996. It is one of the most equipped laboratories with the ability to cover all processes and formats in the context of analogue cinema. With a careful look at the self-management of space by lx artists, thus encouraging the creative process to be the main element and to be able to expand freely into space.

Lichun, one of the founders of the self-managed laboratory Filmwerkplaats in Rotterdam, Joyce Lainé, the driving force behind the new generation of the Atelier MTK lab in Grenoble, and Lucie Leszez, member of the L’abominable lab in Paris, met in the Hall at l’Alternativa, along with Gloria Vilches, coordinator of Xcentric to share their experiences, their fragilities, and their satisfactions in the extensive journey of these three leading laboratories on the international expanded scene.

The proposal we put forward in our curatorial triangle between l’Alternativa Hall, Zumzeig, and Festival LOOP is made up of two live performances of Expanded Cinema, one of whom will be accompanied by musician Robert Kroos, a 16mm-piece visionary, and a conversation to exchange experiences.

Programme

16/11/2023, 18h
3 Laboratories, 3 Experiences, Multiple Perspectives (talk)
Participants: Lichun Tseng, Joyce Lainé and Lucie Leszez
Moderator: Glòria Vilches

16/11/2023, 20.30h
Lichun Tseng & Robert Kroos, Ebb and Flow (expanded cinema)

17/11/2023, 19h
L’Abominable, Filmwerkplaats, MTK, 3 Laboratories, 3 Experiences, Multiple Perspectives (screening)

17/11/2023, 20.30h
Joyce Lainé & Lucie Leszez, Sweet Seventeen (expanded cinema)

This programme is supported by a grant from Acción Cultural Española (AC/E).

An indispensable feature in analog film laboratories is community, and it is through this network that flows information, knowledge and creativity. A very clear case of this is Sweet Seventeen, an expanded film piece about filming, coloring and blurring perception, which stems from the connection between Joyce Lainé and Lucie Leszez, two artists who inhabit two analog film laboratories, two universes who have shortened the miles between the Atelier MTK and l’Abominable to find themselves in the essence of the expanded, which is the direct one.

This programme is supported by a grant from Acción Cultural Española (AC/E).