California Company Town
The ultimate phase in the conquest of the West, California is the shining example of the American dream. In California Company Town, the natural beauty of California is reduced to pictures. The towns that grew out of the exploitation of minerals, forests and earth lasted only as long as the profit did. When it vanishes, the town dies. In Californian history, the ghost town is not just an occasional hiccough but a permanent backdrop. Lee Anne Schmitt’s vision borders on a horror film. Her journey takes her to the spectacular site that hosted the making of The Planet of the apes and Terminator II. For her, though, the disaster is not for tomorrow, in some imaginary future: it has already happened. There are no characters in this film, where the greed for capital spawns a desert-just shadows and, on the sound track, the constant roar of traffic. (Yann Lardeau)
Lee Anne Schmitt est une artiste multidisciplinaire dont les travaux vont du film aux installations, de l’écriture à la photographie. Elle se base sur les éléments de la vie quotidienne américaine vus comme des rituels, comme dans sa série d’enquêtes cinématographiques sur les interactions du paysage avec la mémoire personnelle (Las Vegas, 2000), avec l’histoire de la gauche américaine (Awake and Sing, 2003) et avec le développement urbain (The Wash, 2005).
Lee Anne Schmitt
Lee Anne Schmitt
Ryan Philippi
Lee Anne Schmitt
Lee Anne Schmitt
