Caligari Project highlights German expressionism
author: brenna engel | contributor
Credit: Ella Mikkola
Event will host readings at the University of Regina
A silent film, a live orchestra, and a one of a kind experience, “The Caligari Project” is a public festival highlighting German Expressionism, held in Regina from September to December.
There will be many events touching on visual arts, film, music, dance, theatre, puppetry, and the speaker series. According to Christina Stojanova, Professor of Film with the Faculty of Media, Art and Performance at the University of Regina, this is a type of expressionism that challenges the status quo, which surfaced sometime after the First World War. It is a festival for everyone, regardless of how much or little a person knows about the subject. The purpose of this project is to educate the public about the history and influence of German Expressionism on today’s society.
Amongst the many intriguing events, there are three that take centre stage. A screening of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a 1920’s silent horror film, which will be accompanied by the Regina Symphony Orchestra, takes place on Oct.16 at the Conexus Arts Centre. Award-winning composer Jason Cullimore composed an original piece for the screening, which will be premiered at this event.
On Oct. 20, the Mackenzie Art Gallery will be hosting “The Calagari Salon: An Evening of Sideshows, Cinema and Angst,” which will feature films made by Saskatchewan filmmakers, as well as a puppet sideshow and a reception to follow.
“The Art of Expression Speaker Series,” will feature different professors every Thursday night from Sept. 22 to Oct. 19, as well as on Monday Oct. 17 when Andrew Burke, a keynote speaker from the University of Winnipeg, will be covering various topics under the umbrella of German Expressionism.
“The Art of Expressionism Speaker Series” will be held in the U of R’s Shu-Box Theatre. Leesa Streifler, Department Head of Visual Arts in the Faculty of Media, Arts and Performance (MAP), spoke on “Looking at German Expressionist Drawing and Painting.” Streifler is a painter herself, and says she has been very influenced by German expressionists. She touched on “the historical significance of these artists and what they were trying to say aesthetically and conceptually.” Each presentation will talk about German Expressionism in different fields of study, from literature to film. There is a little bit for everyone, and since this is a free event, the public is welcome to attend as many sessions as they want. Streifler spoke on Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m.
This series of events is designed with the goal of bringing the Regina community together and looking deeper into these works of art and ideologies that came from people living in a post-war time. By looking at the influences German Expressionism has on today’s society, it may help people to connect with the past, and help better understand the present. “The Caligari Project”: a mosaic of events, all over the city, from now until December.
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[…] The Caligari Project is no stranger to the Carillon, and its impact on the current Regina arts community can be seen in every institution. The MacKenzie Art Gallery’s current exhibit, “German Expressionists and their Contemporaries,” serves to introduce curious patrons to the genre’s vibrant colour palette and visual aesthetic. An event earlier this month screened the festival’s namesake – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) – which Mooky insists “influenced many effects we use in movie making still today.” Alongside the screening, Jason Cullimore composed a brand new score conducted by local legend Victor Sawa, introducing us to the complex musical features of Expressionism. […]
[…] festival, which has been underway since September, “has been quite a wild ride” for Brownridge, whose role in the event is threefold: coordinator […]