dan browne

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january 2017

2016 was a great year for me personally, and not such a great one for the world...

Let's start with the good: I somehow managed 52 screenings, installations, and live performances, including five solo presentations and a Loop Collective touring programme that spanned from coast to coast. I made seven new 16mm films, a handful of other projects, and resurrected four older films with new digital restorations. I finally managed to place all of my work in distribution with CFMDC and Light Cone, so something will survive if my house burns down. My films were mentioned on 'best of' year end lists by Rinaldo Censi, Donatello Corona, and Ángel Rueda, and I was happy to do my first lengthy interview on my filmmaking with Edwin Rostron. I have three new projects in process that I am confident will be among my best work to date, and I began several new collaborations and working relationships with other artists and organizations that I look forward to continuing in the coming year. And my personal life continues to blossom as I enjoy the struggles and triumphs of being a parent.

As for the downs: while I'm not the type to wax dramatic over the deaths of celebrities I've never met (with the possible exception of Leonard Cohen), the stories of rampant environmental destruction that filled this year's news -- the death of 80% of the Great Barrier Reef, the loss of 2/3 of wild animals, the radical acceleration of Arctic ice melt, and the near certainty that a great catastrophe will be upon us all within fifty years or sooner -- have left me feeling increasingly pessimistic about the future, especially given the ascendant world political scenario. I find myself mulling over Hölderlin's question, "What are poets for in a destitute time?" It can seem profane to task oneself with making and exhibiting artworks in such a climate (sometimes even impossible), but they are also needed now more than ever. I will be taking a sabbatical from most social media platforms for the next while with the hope of being able to better ground myself, but please feel free to write me anytime, I would love to hear from you!

Upcoming events:
Reflections I & II (2016) at Panorama XP #3 at Cinematheque Quebeçois on January 27th.
Grid024 (2015) and Cathedral (2015) at the Media Wall at University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA, on continuous loop for the month of February.

Still image from Palmerston Blvd., work in progress.