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Shower Proof
A quotidian yet abstract bathroom sequence, printed on high-contrast negative film.
Overview
A man and woman in a bathroom, he brushing his teeth, she tying her hair, stepping into the shower, stepping out to dry herself, then the man again brushing his teeth, and so on in various sequences. Printed on increasingly high contrast negative, the film explores the relationship between form and movement: it grows from the abstract (though plainly anthropomorphic) to the personal yet not specific (we see neither the man’s nor the woman’s face in detail). An early film by Co-op filmmaker Fred Drummond.
Founded in 1966, the London Film-Makers’ Co-operative started life at Better Books, a counter-culture bookshop on Charing Cross Road, where a group led by poet Bob Cobbing and filmmakers Stephen Dwoskin and Jeff Keen met to screen films. Initially inspired by the activities of the New American Cinema Group in New York, the London Co-op grew into a pioneering organisation that incorporated a film workshop, cinema space and distribution office. During its four-decade history, the Co-op played a crucial role in establishing film as an art form in the UK and participated in a vibrant international film scene. This BFI Player collection brings together new scans of films distributed by and/or produced at the London Co-op.
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