Cooper Handmade Cinema Group
Hands-On Film & Projection WorkshopsABOUT
The Cooper Handmade Cinema Group is a workshop series open to all students at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art during the Spring 2025 semester.We are exploring 16mm film as a medium of tactile experimentation and play, encouraging collaboration and performance while seeking to re-animate “obsolete” projection tools with digital technology. Funding has been provided by the Cooper Union Grant Program.
Before film hit the big screen, it could be anything: optical toys, peep shows, visual music, or even tools for spiritualist mediumship. Then came a century of obedient Hollywood servitude before celluloid largely retired from industry. Now that it’s leaving the projection booth behind, film is re-connecting with its bohemian roots, offering some pre-cinematic ways of seeing a post-cinematic world.
We hope to foster a community of artists and technologists at Cooper Union who want to embrace the handmade possibilities of film. We have witnessed the erosion of experiential knowledge and craft, reflecting the wider cultural turn toward virtuality that was normalized during the COVID 19 pandemic. Perhaps in response, recent students have been asking for more hands-on experimentation. They had enough "Zoom school" and are seeking a college experience that empowers all of their senses. We hope these workshops can respond to that need and create an opportunity for curiosity, exchange, and discovery.
We welcome all curious tinkerers, artists, sound-makers, and dreamers!
The best inter-school collaborations are created by curious students who share a common interest and want to explore. They don’t ask “How can a MechE student contribute to this project?” but rather “Will this be a fun challenge where I’ll meet interesting people?” In these workshops, we hope to foster a sense of inclusivity and experimentation where students can share the risks and rewards of working outside their comfort zones to create something truly innovative.
Three Phases
1. A kick-off performance by artists who perform with analog film projection and sound.
2. Research workshops in the SoA Film/Video area (open to all three schools) guided by faculty/staff. Each workshop examines a different way that handmade film can acknowledge history while projecting possible futures.
3. A culminating performance / installation where students share their work, along with a printed program and online documentation of technical developments (CAD drawings, code, etc).