A Talk and Screening with Erica Beckman
Performers
Location
About
A Talk and Screening with Erica Beckman
Saturday, March 28, 2026 · 12–4 PM
EMPAC Theater
FREE
As part of the lively experimental music and performance downtown scene of the 80’s, Ericka Beckman has made acclaimed works across Super-8mm, 16mm, and expanded cinema formats since the 1980’s. Engaging live-action choreographed sequences, as well as handcrafted layered animation, and face paced soundtrack, Beckman transforms the cultural norms communicated through common-place material such as fairytales and games.
Beckman is highly revered by contemporaneous peers and collaborators. She has influenced the generations that follow her in numerous ways, especially in relationship to what she describes as “the performance of the image”.
This screening and discussion will draw on Beckman’s longstanding exploration of how physical action, and our memory of it, constructs cultural images and influences both our behavior and perception of reality.
Main Image: Courtesy the artist.
Program Notes
12–2 PM — PART 1: ARTIST PRESENTATION
"SPORTS, RULES AND MUSICALS: CONVERSATION WITH THE ARTIST"
- Out of Hand (1981)
- You the Better (1983)
- Cinderella (1986)
- Hiatus (2000)
- Tension Building (2017)
- Reach Capacity (2020)
- Stalk (2021)
- 15 minutes for Q and A.
2:15–4:15 PM — PART 2: FILM SCREENING
"FAIR GAME FILMS"
- Cinderella (1986) — Super-8 film / 24 minutes
- Hiatus (2000) — 16mm / 20 minutes
- Switch Center (2003) — 16mm / 12 minutes
- Tension Building (2017) — HD / 8 minutes
- Reach Capacity (2020) — HD / 14 minutes
- Stalk (2021) — HD / 18 minutes
- Study for Rapunzel (2024) — HD / 5 minutes