Grouper

Exploring impressionistic, emotional and sensory environments found within the vast natural and urban landscapes of America. Neither image nor sound takes precedence: the two interact and combine preserving a raw sense of the discovery that field recordings and in-camera edited film rushes often yield.

A collection of films from an eclectic array of contributors commissioned to raise funds for the Bristol independent cinema The Cube.

Under the name Nivhek, Liz Harris (Grouper) maps richly detailed inner worlds where enigmatic vibrations and voices glide dimly in and out of the void. Double album After its own death / Walking in a spiral towards the house consists of opaque assemblages of Mellotron, guitar, field recordings, tapes, and broken FX pedals. In pacing, palette, and poignancy, these sides rank among Harris' most stark, primordial work: fragile, feverish, ominous, and otherworldly. Accompanied by visuals from experimental filmmaker Takashi Makino which were made exclusively for live shows of this album.

Engine materializes Liz Harris’s self-confessed obsession with engine sounds from cars and trains, and noise explosions heard at drag races. For Harris, that is the sound of excess, power, sex, destruction, capitalism, and oil becoming an airborne pollutant. All the same those are the sounds of transformation, from which comes life. With an original film by Takashi Makino shown in the background, Engine is a large stage machine of guttural bass tones and constant revving up that mimics our heartbeat and breathing, and pumps the blood in our veins.

Two girls, members of a Mennonite community in the USA Deep South, have a first encounter with the outside world, which the short movie lets you view through their innocent, alien eyes. "The dirty ones" may be their term for all outsiders.

A feature length film by Dicky Bahto, to accompany Grouper's live performances in 2022.

A dreamy, impressionistic 16mm film of light on water, comprised mostly of sepia tones.