Groundwork (Original)
Identifier
F.2011-01-0171
Date Of Production
circa 1975
Abstract
A poetic tribute to the establishment of the maple farm in Monterey, MA, owned and operated by JoAnn Elam's friend Bonner McAllester and her husband Joe Baker. Elam and McAllester were close friends since their time at Antioch College together, and Elam would return to the farm and make films many times through the 1980s. Using double exposure and occasional rapid editing, this film follows McAllester, Baker, and a group of friends as they live in the teepee first built on the property, dig the foundation for a more permanent structure, harvest and prepare their crops, and build a new wooden structure on top of the dug-out foundation. Elam films the workers with a focus on their bodies and hands, emphasizing the tactility of their labor, but at other times also foregrounds the ethereal quality of their natural surroundings.
The film cuts to black approximately halfway through and then repeats the same sequence of events as the previous half, suggesting the two were meant to be separated and projected side by side simultaneously. Two separate prints of the two halves – "Groundwork" (F.2011-01-0146) and "Groundwork / Backyard 2" (F.2011-01-0145) – were likely made for this purpose.
The film cuts to black approximately halfway through and then repeats the same sequence of events as the previous half, suggesting the two were meant to be separated and projected side by side simultaneously. Two separate prints of the two halves – "Groundwork" (F.2011-01-0146) and "Groundwork / Backyard 2" (F.2011-01-0145) – were likely made for this purpose.
Run Time
20 min 49 sec
Format
8mm
Extent
300 feet
Color
Color
Sound
Silent
Reel/Tape Number
1/1
Has Been Digitized?
Yes
Language Of Materials
English
Element
Reversal Positives
Genre
Form
Subject
Related Collections
Related Places
Main Credits
Elam, JoAnn (is filmmaker)
Participants And Performers
McAllester, Bonner (is participant)
Baker, Joe (is participant)
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