“Feel no guilt in your desire:” 90 YEARS Short Film Program

“Feel no guilt in your desire:” 90 YEARS Short Film Program presents a looping selection of films and videos connected to the ICA’s history of video art during the 1980s. Shown in conjunction with the exhibition 90 YEARS, the program brings together works addressing AIDS, place, urban life, war, and nuclear anxiety through distinctive color, sound, and political imagery.

The program includes Isaac Julien’s impressionistic response to the moralizing language of AIDS advertising; works from the international Time Code project, which asked artists to capture the character and pulse of a particular place without dialogue or commentary; and Meredith Monk’s theatrical, dissonant Turtle Dreams (Waltz), directed for video by Ping Chong. Each work was previously presented at the ICA during the 1980s.

When: Thursday, November 5, and Sunday, December 13

Showtimes: The films loop continuously from 6–9 PM on November 5 and from 12–4 PM on December 13

Tickets: Free with museum admission

Venue: Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA)

Run time: Approximately 60 minutes

Lineup: Isaac Julien, This Is Not an AIDS Advertisement (1987), a color and sound Super 8 film transferred to video, running 10:26

Lineup: Branda Miller, Time Squared (1988), a color and sound video from the Time Code project, running 6:33

Lineup: Robert Cahen and Stéphane Huter, Montenvers et Mer de Glace (1987), a color and sound video from the Time Code project, running 8:13

Lineup: Gusztáv Hámos, Luck Smith (1987), a color and sound video from the Time Code project, running 5:55

Lineup: Meredith Monk, Turtle Dreams (Waltz) (1983), a 27-minute video in color and black and white with sound

Turtle Dreams credits: Conceived and performed by Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble, with music by Meredith Monk, video direction by Ping Chong, and co-production by WGBH-Boston

Background: This Is Not an AIDS Advertisement was included in the ICA’s 1989 Video Against AIDS program. Time Squared was supported by the ICA and WGBH’s Contemporary Art Television Fund, and the Time Code series was screened at the ICA in 1988. Turtle Dreams (Waltz) was produced by WGBH-TV’s New Television Workshop and later shown in the ICA’s 1987 WGBH New Television Workshop: New Television’s 20 Year Challenge series.

Ages: No age restriction is listed.

Accessibility: No accessibility information is provided.