Media artist sam smiley will be screening recent works that use archival images to tell alternative stories through video art. She will talk about tools and techniques, will show portions of her work, and will facilitate an open discussion to follow.

Open discussion: How can video artists and historians enact historical documents in a way that is accessible and meaningful without being literal?

The Films:

The Queen of Kudzu; 10 minutes

Produced by AstroDime Transit Authority and sam smiley

This video uses primary source documents, historical artifacts, interviews, and experimental video and audio to tell the story of C.E. and Lillie Pleas, who introduced Kudzu to the continental Americas in the early 1900’s. This video sheds some light on Kudzu’s amazing growth and use in the United States, prior to its being considered an “Invasive Species”. It is narrated by C.E. Pleas’ great great grandniece, Betty Pleas Taylor, and her husband John Taylor and produced by sam smiley with assistance from Lisa Gordon and AstroDime Transit Authority.
(FEEL FREE TO PREVIEW)
vimeo.com/83998526

Also loop screening: Imagining John: The Vision of a Tailor-Philanthropist
Produced by Denise Doherty Pappas; Direction, Editing and Sound Design by sam smiley
Based on the book John Simmons: The Measure of a Man by Denise Doherty Pappas. Portions shot on location at the LIttle Compton Historical Society and Brickbottom Artists’ Association Gallery.