Though he is commonly described as one of the most consequential filmmakers in avant-garde cinema and structural film, Ernie Gehr has produced a body of work that defies all definitions and widens our perception of what we call “cinema.” Since the 1960s, Gehr has offered audiences manufactured dreams of light, shadow, and motion, invigorated by an unresolved tension between the limit of the camera’s frame and the scope of viewers’ imaginations. In his own words: “The overriding emphasis in my work, be it film, video, or digital, has always been a sense of consciousness: consciousness about being alive and responsive to what is out there, as well as what one is going through internally.”

Gehr’s inventiveness with the most basic of resources—a small camera, a lens, sometimes a microphone—evokes the experience of cinema’s first audiences, and their awe at the surprising ways in which the Lumière brothers, Georges Méliès, and other early film innovators framed the world. At the same time, Gehr’s visual experimentation and meticulous observance of the present offer a home for our feeling of displacement in that present; by surrendering our senses to the moving wonders of his films, our role as spectators of the world’s tumultuous flow takes on a renewed sense of purpose. Ernie Gehr: Mechanical Magic presents recent digital work and 35mm restorations, including world premieres and rarely screened titles. Each program is followed by a Q&A with Ernie Gehr and a special guest.

Organized by Francisco Valente, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Film.

“I’m a city walker, and a city filmmaker of both interior and exterior phenomena, a chronicler of the invisible daily life in the city. With no fancy equipment or gadgets, I go about my business and try to blend with the crowd. Yes, sometimes I encounter resistance, and a ‘no-no’ gesture, but most of the time I’m left alone, especially in my old age—‘that crazy old man.’ Thank you.

Like breathing in and out, I trust intuition, and moment-to-moment developments. Yet I am also mindful and attracted to the mysterious and extraordinary ethereal possibilities of the mediums I work with, be it film or digital, all part of the larger and long history of the projected moving image. So life-like, yet so different! So new yet so ancient! Full of mysteries, pleasures and delight! Enjoy!”—Ernie Gehr, February 1, 2024

Program:

Ernie Gehr Shorts, Part 1Friday, March 15, 4:30 p.m. - Followed by a discussion with Ernie Gehr and Steve AnkerSaturday, March 23, 6:00 p.m.

• Sunday in Paris. 2016. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 17 min.
• Back in the Park. 2019. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 11 min.
• Construction Sight. 2019. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 36 min.
• Flying Over Brooklyn. 2020. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 5 min.

Ernie Gehr Shorts, Part 2Friday, March 15, 7:00 p.m. - Followed by a discussion with Ernie Gehr and John HanhardtSaturday, March 23, 4:00 p.m.

• For the Birds. 2016. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 5 min.
• Auto-Collider-XX. 2014. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 11 min.
• Delirium. 2020. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 14 min.
• Pedestrian Activities. 2023. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 27 min.

Ernie Gehr Shorts, Part 3Saturday, March 16, 4:00 p.m. - Followed by a discussion with Ernie Gehr and P. Adams SitneyFriday, March 22, 6:30 p.m.

• Table. 1976. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. 35mm. 16 min.
• Mirage. 1981. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. 35mm. 12 min.
• Rear Window. 1991. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. 35mm. 10 min.
• Along Brighton Beach Avenue (a.k.a. Untitled: Part One 1981). 1981. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 28 min.

Ernie Gehr Shorts, Part 4Friday, March 15, 6:30 p.m. - Followed by a discussion with Ernie Gehr and Ron MagliozziThursday, March 21, 6:30 p.m.Glider. 2001. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 20 min.

• Mechanical Magic Lantern Slides II. 2019. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 14 min.
• In Slumberland (Thanks to Winsor McCay)*. 2015. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 9 min.
• Creatures of the Night. 2023. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 17 min.
• Medicine Cabinet. 2022. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 15 min.

Ernie Gehr Shorts, Part 5Sunday, March 17, 2:00 p.m. - Followed by a discussion with Ernie Gehr and Ken EisensteinWednesday, March 20, 6:30 p.m.

• Chambers of Time. 2010. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 8 min.
• Through the Hoops of Time. 2020. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 8 min.
• Approposessexstreetmarket. 2018. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 30 min.
• New York Central. 2020. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 24 min.

Ernie Gehr Shorts, Part 6Sunday, March 17, 4:30 p.m. - Followed by a discussion with Ernie Gehr and Cara ManesTuesday, March 19, 6:30 p.m.

• High-Wire Act. 2023. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 6 min.
• Bon Voyage. 2016. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 6 min.
• Lisbon Views. 2022. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 8 min.
• What’s Up!. 2023. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 16 min.
• Carroll Gardens. 2023. USA. Directed by Ernie Gehr. Digital. 22 min.