About Infestation / Obliteration:

Insects pollinate flowers, infest homes, destroy crops, aid in the decomposition of the dead, sting and bite our skin, and are thought to bring luck and/or hardship. We swat them away, catch them in jars, spray them with poison, farm them for their byproducts and nutritional properties, and transport them across the country for agricultural production. Some insects provoke fear and disgust, while others elicit adoration and wonder. Most, however, go unnoticed.

This program focuses on the insect body as interpreted by artists, as well as the personal and cultural values projected onto insects, which have then been projected onto the screen. Canyon filmmakers include Charlotte Pryce, Takahiko Iimura, Robert Todd, Julie Murray, Anna Geyer, and Stan Brakhage. Bay Area film and video artist, Malic Amalya, will screen his 35mm slide collage FlyHole (2017), about a fly who transitions into a man to cruise gay bars, and four video essays from his series Detours & Fences (2012 - 2015).

Flies, gnats, moths, caterpillars, ladybugs, cicadas, ants, and bees all make appearances. (Amalya 2019)

Film Program:

Charlotte Pryce, Looking Glass Insects (2012)

Takahiko Iimura, On Eye Rape (1962)

Robert Todd, evergreeen (2006)

Julie Murray, Micromoth (2000)

Charlotte Pryce, Parable of the Tulip Painter and the Fly (2008)

Anna Geyer, Arapadaptor (I Feel So) (2003)

Stan Brakhage, Mothlight (1963)

Malic Amalya, FlyHole (2017)

Malic Amalya, Detours & Fences (2012)

Malic Amalya, Roadsides & Waste Grounds (2012)

Malic Amalya, To Type Out Your Name (2014)

Malic Amalya & Nathan Hill, Magnetic Resonance (2014)

Canyon Cinema’s presentation of this event is made possible through the generous support of the George Lucas Family Foundation, the Owsley Brown III Philanthropic Foundation, and the Zellerbach Family Foundation’s Community Arts Program.