Untitled Film (Art & Disability Culture)
About the Film
Through a tapestry of letters, journals, and art, Chicago-based artist Reveca Torres engages in a dialogue with iconic disabled artists Frida Kahlo, Vincent Van Gogh, and Henri Matisse who have inspired a new generation of artists. Bridging time and space, she intertwines the lives and works of Kahlo, Van Gogh, and Matisse with the works of contemporary artists with disabilities.
Artistic Approach
A camera is attached to the wheelchair through mounts resulting in the viewers’ eye-level being lower, and when in movement, the wheelchair creates unique tracking shots, 360 degree pivots, and chance framing.
Some video footage includes moments when I am directing someone to move the camera or move my chair to get the right shot. A lot of creativity has come from troubleshooting or finding creative solutions to filming from a wheelchair.
I take a painterly aesthetic in the choice of imagery throughout the film and many visual and tactile elements like fabrics, textures and colors. I will also highlight and incorporate artifacts from the process of creating art and the life and art from past artists such as letters, diaries and images. Frida Kahlo, Vincent Van Gogh and Henri Matisse will be living within the film through stop motion, collaging and other visual effects. Using letters, either as text on the screen, voiceover, or as animated graphics, I will engage with the artists and show their influence in my work and life. Sounds, open captions, subtitles and audio descriptions will make the viewer pause to absorb what accessible filmmaking looks like, as we guide them through the film.
This film is being developed in partnership with
Support from:
