This time Signe Baumane is not visiting us as a filmmaker – she is going to tell us about works by her colleagues from New York. We present you a cycle of lectures entitled “Avoid Eye Contact” – a subjective guide to New York’s independent animation.

Baumane's presentation consists of three parts. Programme I covers 14 of the artist's favourites films from both parts of “Avoid Eye Conctact”. These films may not be the latest ones (“One of Those Days” was created in 1988); however, since animation does not age to the same extend as other film genres, they still rank among classics.

Programmes II and III were prepared especially for Etiuda&Anima and include films that have never been screened at festivals before. There are some things worth pointing out here, e.g. the action of many of these animated shorts is set in weird and untypical locations, like in “Terrible Alpha 9”, ”Pangs”, ”Egg”, ”Mirage” and ”Wandering Eye”. This might be explained by the fact that New York is a strange place with its own set of rules – something which is not very clear to the newcomers at first and makes them feel as if they were living on a different planet.

Besides, the programme features several animations that talk about women and womanhood in a blunt, rebellious or even obscene way, e.g. “Teat Beat of Sex”, “Boobatary”, ”Cee Cee’s Bedtime Stories” and ”Everybody’s Pregnant”.

Photo from the film ”Everybody’s Pregnant”

These three programmes show some of the best New York animated shorts created in the last 20 years. This is a unique chance to experience the mindset and lifestyle of New Yorkers and the city itself.

Avoid Eye Contact – Signe Baumane on New York independent animation

Programme I
24th November (Thursday), 5:30 PM
Małopolska Garden of Arts – Small Room

Programme II
25th November (Friday), 6:00 PM
Małopolska Garden of Arts – Small Room

Programme III
26th November (Saturday), 7:30 PM
Małopolska Garden of Arts – Small Room