Proteus: A Nineteenth Century Vision

Admission is free. No advance reservations. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. The box office opens one hour before the event.

Tanka

U.S., 1976

Tanka means, literally, “a thing rolled up.” Photographed from Tibetan scroll paintings of the 16th to 19th centuries, Tanka is a cyclical vision of ancient gods and demons, an animated journey through the image world of the Tibetan Book of the Dead that won the Bronze Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival and other international awards.

DCP (from 16mm), color, 9 min. Director: David Lebrun.

Proteus: A Nineteenth Century Vision U.S., 2004

An exploration of the intersection of science and art that itself embodies a visionary fusion of art and documentary, Proteus centers on the fascinating life and career of 19th century German naturalist Ernst Haeckel and his obsession with radiolarians, a species of microscopic marine protozoa. Illustrating the infinite variety of their intricate skeletal structures, challenged Haeckel to reconcile his personal contradictions, as an artist and a scientist, as well as the larger contradictions of his age between the material and the spiritual worlds. David Lebrun delivers heady doses of philosophy, history, aesthetics, religion and evolutionary biology made all the more potent by his dazzling presentation of Haeckel’s scientific drawings.

35mm, color, 60 min. Director: David Lebrun.