The Saint

Story by Mary Zielke, Guest Writer

Wealthy Theatre is holding a four-month collaboration with the Grand Rapids Art Museum to present an exhibit that celebrates a variety of films and filmmakers. 

On October 26 from 6-8 pm, Caroline Bell, a student at Grand Valley State University, and Anal Dilip Shah, a professor from Grand Valley State University, discussed their process of how they create their own stories through film. 

Bell shared her struggles with others putting her down throughout her practice. She stated, “I started putting together this cohesive bodywork that explores the face of trauma. You can hold memories and… I can reflect on the past through my work.” 

She went on to describe how the black and white footage represents what is behind her, while the red vibrant colors in her work display how trauma affects her day-to-day life yet she can grow through the events in her life. 

Both Bell and Dilip Shah prefer to work alone since setting up and placing all the camera equipment is difficult to hire someone else to complete. Dilip Shah even described to the audience how he created his music soundtrack, along with his film pieces, and how this emotionally connected him closer to his work.

Called the Experimental Film Selections inspired by Wealthy Theatre’s Open Projector Night, an ongoing film to promote the diversity of films in Michigan, these two events venture on the variety of artists who promote their perspectives through film. The first selection series from October 7th through November 26th, invites individuals chosen for this series to talk about their artistic work, and what inspired them. 

Nicholas Hartman, curator of the exhibition who works for Wealthy Theatre, and Spencer Everhart, a graduate of York University and professor at Grand Valley State University, collaborated and chose the specific videography pieces to display. 

Hartman and Everhart wanted to capture scenery or different enlightening categories, and what makes these films significant to the individuals that live in Michigan. During the panel, along with Bell and Dilip Shah, the two men mentioned that their process of choosing specific individuals boiled down to certain key components. 

“You’re taking into consideration sound and narrative of strong dialogue… to keep in mind what is an art museum film, being mindful of space observation and everyone’s experience with it as well,” Everhart stated. 

Throughout the panel, there was a heavy focus on how young people are experiencing visual culture with popular apps like TikTok and YouTube. Editing and framing is more commonly exposed to individuals at a younger age, where this type of content was not available in the past.

The panel lasted an hour long, and the other hour encouraged guests to watch these short films themselves, interacting with what they get out of this artistic experience. The key to watching these films has to do with patience, and how each individual responds to the craft presented in front of them. 

“The videographers stressed that they enjoyed the benefits of having people interpret or make their interpretation without the help of a description,” said Jessica Baker, an individual who watched this series on Thursday night. “They encouraged the guests of the program to make their interpretations of the videos as they will lead to a better experience that is more meaningful and compelling to the soul.” 

Displayed at the Level 2 Hunting Gallery in the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Dilip Shah’s work is called The Odisha File, and Bell’s is called Someday You’ll Be Gone. Each piece is roughly five minutes long, as their work is displayed for a week. This event is free of charge for those who want to experience a new way to appreciate and approach the art of film.