“Porch”
(10', 2006)
Film by Bill Morrison
Music by Julia Wolfe
Libretto by Deborah Artman
from the multimedia performance
"Shelter"
Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, composers
Deborah Artman, libretto
Film by Bill Morrison
Projections by Laurie Olinder
Performed by Ensemble Muzikfabrik
and Trio Medieval
Directed by Bob McGrath
BAM Next Wave Festival
BAM Harvey Theater
Brooklyn, NY
November 2005 (US premiere)
Summer evenings and lemonade
A time when the whole town knew each other and said "hello"
First came screens against the bugs
Then came glass against the chill
Then came walls against the winter
The street became so loud with cars and trucks
Passersby diminished
Inside there is air-conditioning and TV
In “Porch”, home movies archived at the Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archive were edited to Julia Wolfe’s score and Deborah Artman’s libretto.
In Ms. Artman’s libretto, a family’s front porch evolves into another interior room of their house, in turn reflecting their relationship to a changing community. Morrison’s film traces several families over a number of decades, depicting an innocence that was lost and reclaimed.
Ms. Wolfe’s haunting score is performed by Ensemble Signal, and conducted by Brad Lubman.
