High Concept Laboratories

In her latest video, "They're Better Out Here, Aren't They?" Casey Smallwood develops the themes of storytelling, intimacy, and conflict that she has explored in previous video work with her mother and father into an large-scale exploration of the origins and nature of narrative. "They're Better Out Here, Aren't They?" concludes Smallwood's residency at High Concept Laboratories, and will open as a solo exhibition for one night only on January 28, 2012.

Infusing the structure of cinéma vérité with carefully structured but open-ended character prompts, Smallwood worked with two cameras and a cast of nine actors and non-actors who were recorded continuously for eight hours and subjected to increasingly demanding direction. Out of these performances, Smallwood constructed a narrative with her players about life after a war and the compromises that are demanded by life in a small, thrown-together community. 

This exhibition is invite only and will require RSVP. The screenings will occur between 6PM and 10PM (exact times TBA) on January 28th at High Concept Laboratories in Chicago. Please RSVP by  Sunday, January 22.