subway stories and other shorts 1978-9 by Ann Messner

Summary

subway stories and other shorts brings together the digitized Super 8 documentation of Ann Messner's renowned guerilla performances from the 1970s, shot in the New York City subway system and other public thoroughfares. In the cramped container of the subway carriage Messner tested the pliability of the social contract and found "a universe of concentrated collective imagination, with untapped potential."

1
small fires 1977
16mm b&w digital transfer; duration 6:30 min

2
a monument 1979 / edit 2024
S8mm digital transfer; duration 6:00 min
collaboration with charles moulton, peter mönnig

3
slalom 1978 / edit 2023-4
S8mm digital transfer; duration 10:00 minutes min

4
traffic 1978 / edit 2024
S8mm digital transfer; duration 7:17 min
low resolution copy; two camera single screen 2024

5
stealing 1978
summer end sale C&A, Koln, Germany
digital transfer from Super 8; 7:23 min

6
dance 1979 / edit 2024
S8mm digital transfer; duration 3:20 min

7
subway stories and other shorts 1978-79
digital transfer from Super 8 digitized in 1998
full version of film 13:33 min

8
subway story ad dis-placement 1978-9/edit 2024
digital transfer 35 mm b&w images to digital video; 4:11 min