New Year 10: Jennifer West
June 3 – 12

For the tenth installment in New Year, Western Bridge’s series of two-week projects, Jennifer West presents a new film.

Flash Mountain Returns Film in 2010 – the Bright Side of the Recession (16mm film negative “flashed” during shooting and processing, crystallized with magnesium sulfates, carrot juice, soy milk, Mr bluebird feathers and Simpler Times Beer from the can – photos shot by Disneyland Splash Mountain Ride automatic cameras, rephotographed digitals from Disneyland screen by Mariah Csepanyi, cinematography by Peter West, “Flashing” performed by Mariah Csepanyi, Julianna Puciulli and Jwest assisted by Leila Khatsoo)
2010, 2 minutes, 51 seconds

The source image for West’s film was made with the involuntary cooperation of Disney, whose automated camera photographed West and her three collaborators flashing while riding Disneyland’s Splash Mountain. This notoriously popular activity led Disney to assign employees to delete images of flashers before they showed up on the screen at the ride’s exit, but that crew was removed during a wave of layoffs this spring. Reading about these cutbacks in the Los Angeles Times, West conceived this new work. She rephotographed Disney’s image as the basis for Flash Mountain, her first film derived a still photograph. West’s working method involves staining and altering her films during production; Flash Mountain introduces a pun on the word “flash” through the use of solarization during both shooting and film processing.

Jennifer West lives and works in Los Angeles. Her work has been exhibited at Tate Modern, the Henry Art Gallery, Drawing Center, White Columns, and is currently on view at Seattle Art Museum in the exhibition Kurt, curated by Michael Darling. She is represented by Marc Foxx, Los Angeles, and Vilma Gold, London.