Dara Friedman

[2] As a child, she took dance lessons and would attend dress rehearsals at the Düsseldorf Ballet where her aunt, Bernhild Thormaehlen [de], was a dancer.

[1] Friedman studied under Austrian artist and Structural film pioneer Peter Kubelka, and describes her work as a form of poetry that communicates visually without a reliance on verbal or traditional, narrative storytelling.

A rigorous planning and editing process creates a visceral visual experience that is complemented by the unpredictability of the human subjects she often works with.

[1] The artist establishes relationships with the people who perform directly for her camera, sometimes identified through a casting call, in order to create intimate filming environments that capture an element of natural spontaneity.

[5] Although these films do not have linear narratives, the calculated presentation of bodies in motion encourages the viewer to connect with the subjects and places on screen.

"Bim Bam," 1999, 16mm film installation with two slot-loading projectors, metal armature and non-sync sound