Mark Lewis (FACT) - Hardcover

Mark Lewis & Karen Allen (ed.)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1846310377 ISBN 13: 9781846310379

Publisher: Liverpool University Press, 2006

Synopsis

Mark Lewiss films are remarkable not only for their rich and highly seductive qualities, but also for their extraordinary ability to undermine those characteristics that define mainstream and avant-garde cinema. Through subtle reference to classical motifs and genres, Lewis draws parallels between the film and art worlds and suggests that the evolution of film and technology are intrinsically linked to other visual cultures. This book is published to mark the completion of his most recent film, Rear Projection, a major new piece commissioned by FACT (the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) in partnership with the British Film Institute and Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, Seville. This new work documents a significant shift in Lewiss practice. Glamorous locations and actors have been replaced with observations of more everyday situations, actions and places. In Rear Projection, Lewis has created a portrait of the actress Molly Parker which is superimposed against the backdrop of a bleak, Canadian landscape through the (now outmoded) method of back projection. Featuring stills and location shots from a number of Mark Lewiss recent films, this book also includes essays by Philippe-Alain Michaud, Laura Mulvey and Michael Rush which place Lewiss practice in a wider historical context and highlight a number of artists and filmmakers who have influenced him.

About this title

Product Description:

Rare Book

Synopsis:

Mark Lewis' films are remarkable, not only for their rich and highly seductive use of light and colour, but also for the way in which they pay homage to both classical Hollywood cinema and the avant-garde while remaining outside of both traditions. "Mark Lewis" is the first book to explore this acclaimed Canadian's art, and it features lush images from several of his works, including his most recent piece, "Rear Projection". This film, in particular, documents a significant shift in Lewis' practice. Actress Molly Parker, known for her roles in "Six Feet Under and Deadwood", is superimposed against the bleak, rural landscape of Ontario using the classic Hollywood technique of rear projection. Lewis takes what was, for old Hollywood, a tool meant to convey seamless realism, and foregrounds its essential trickery. Another piece incorporates the dreary backdrops of concrete council flats in the same way. In both settings the film takes on a painterly quality, referencing and restaging traditional portraiture to startling effect.

Accompanied by essays by Philippe-Alain Michaud, Laura Mulvey, and Michael Rush that place Lewis' work next to that of his contemporaries, "Mark Lewis" reaches insightful conclusions about the evolving relationship between film, technology, painting, and photography.

About this edition

• Publisher: Liverpool University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1846310377
• ISBN 13: 9781846310379
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 120
• Editor: Mark Lewis & Karen Allen