Cathy C. Cook's portfolio

Work samples

"Beyond Voluntary Control"

The experimental award-winning 16mm film "Beyond Voluntary Control" conveys the experience of psychological and physical confinement. Through a surreal montage of haunting images from diverse sources, a sense of the obsessions, phobias, and diseases that constrict personal freedom is tellingly communicated. A soundtrack with poems by Emily Dickinson and Sharon Olds escorts the visual, and an interview with the filmmaker’s mother poignantly underscores the latter’s struggle with Parkinson’s disease. Dancer David Figueroa contributes his original and evocative movements to the mix. - lock yourself in, let yourself go -
"IMMORTAL CUPBOARD: In Search of Lorine Niedecker" (excerpt)

Award Winning "IMMORTAL CUPBOARD" is an artistic interpretation, tribute and 16mm film essay on Lorine Niedecker’s life and poetry. Living for years in the solitude of rural Wisconsin, Niedecker (1903-1970), chose what many might see as a lonely path. But out of her very deliberate and austere lifestyle came a poetics of observation so acute that some literary critics have described her as the 20th century’s Emily Dickinson. - Voted Best of Baltimore, City Paper - Film.
"The Match That Started My Fire", excerpt

This 16mm award winning unconventional comedy explores women’s sexuality through candid stories of sexual discoveries, fantasies and pleasures. Visually stunning, yet unnerving, "The Match..." is a visual montage of found industrial films and original footage of swirling skirts, monumental machinery, ocean life, and befuddled reaction shots. The phone rings and the girl-talk begins: secrets emerge and confessions build as the audience is taken on an adventure of sensual humor. “Cook’s look at self and life is witty, satirical, daring." - The Milwaukee Journal.

About Cathy C.

Baltimore City 2024 OTW Artist

Cathy C. Cook is a Baltimore based artist, filmmaker, educator, production designer, and eco-activist. Her films and projects have addressed topical social issues, women's roles, personal chronicles and natures' environmental conditions. Her award-winning work has been exhibited internationally in both solo and group shows including MOMA, The Whitney Museum, PBS and numerous other venues. In 2001, Cook was awarded a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship. Recently Cook’s “Cranes in Motion” project… more

View Cathy C.'s Resume

They Used to Call Me Baby Eagle (excerpt in-progress)

They Used to Call Me Baby Eagle (in-progress) is a short experimental first-person essay film that reveals my fascination and struggles with ocular disorders. My research began unknowingly on September 15, 2016, while driving alone on a freeway. I suffered a retina tear and full vitreous hemorrhage in my left eye that resulted in total but temporary blindness. The next day I underwent emergency surgery. While in twilight anesthesia, I witnessed the surgical procedure with exhilaration as I observed an array of colors, patterns, and organic movements. These visions suggested images by early Avant-Garde filmmakers such as Oscar Fischinger, Hans Richter, and painter Wassily Kandinsky. This film draws on the images I saw during the surgical procedure and what has since been a long medical journey to regain visual acuity. Hand manipulated 16 mm film and direct application techniques combining analog and digital will create a rhythmic kaleidoscope of ocular exploration.

Eye Movie Sketches

Short edited sketches for Eye Movie (2020, 1:32 min.) "Whale Eye" from COPLOW, 16mm cyanotype with digital. "Road Trip", cyanotype and ‘direct application to film’ techniques with digital and archive footage. These are working ideas for the film.
A still frame from Eye Movie

During my visit at the University of Madison, WI, I spent 3 days with the COPLOW (Comparative Ocular Pathology Laboratory of Wisconsin) team documenting their daily processes. This is an ape eye, most similar to human eyes.
A still frame from Eye Movie.

This image is an eye dissection in progress at the COPLOW facilities.
A still frame from Eye Movie

This is a paraffin wax slice of an eye that has been mounted on a slide to prepare for microscopic examination by the COPLOW lab.
A still frame from Eye Movie

16mm cyanotype and photogram film techniques superimposed to create the illusion of space and eye illusions.
A still frame from Eye Movie

Cyanotype 16mm film techniques used to create a suggestion and abstraction of microscopic eye imagry.
A still frame from Eye Movie. Orion Nebula.

I am using many NASA images from outer space including nebulas to depict the visions experienced during eye surgery which looked much like nebulas.
A still frame from Eye Movie

Cameraless 16mm photogram hand processed film is superimposed with digital kalidascope like activity.
A still frame from Eye Movie

Several vintage 16mm archival scientific films are intercut with the abstract images in the film.
Retina Eye Exam still frame.

Research for the film Eye Movie.

The "Cranes in Motion" project (2013 - 2016) Media

The Cranes in Motion project is an intermedia exhibition including documentary, interactive moving images, poetry, animation and sound to explore the fascinating dynamics of crane culture and natural history. It artistically interprets the fascinating dynamics of crane culture in an effort to understand this unique species and our shared ecosystems. “I am compelled by the longevity of the crane and their struggle for survival to further explore the complexities of their ecosystems.”
The multi-media exhibition installation artwork includes: Mimicking Whooper (1st media image) which uses state of the art gaming software to provide an opportunity to virtually interact with Whooping Cranes - to figuratively dance their dance. Prehistoric Resurrection (2nd media image), inspired by the idea of ‘resurrection biology’, this animated and live-action short visually connects prehistoric references to crane survival and longevity through the beauty of movement and the tools of technology. A 3-D animated crane skeleton emerges from an actual photo of a 12 million year - old fossil that then transforms into motion; interacting with present-day Sandhill Cranes and flies away with the flock. Summer Home (3rd media image), shot in Wisconsin, Cedar Lake, Town of Union.
Extreme Close-Ups, through the lens, the photographs enable us to meet the cranes eye to eye, and ponder the magnificent details of evolution’s handiwork. Specimens 2015, a fragmented view of the crane skeleton. Crane Migration Sound Recordings, a collaboration with field recorder, Paul Dickinson. Crane & Nature Poetry featuring 4 poems united with images: Lorine Niedecker (20th Century), Linda Hogan (21stcentury), Japan Emperor Uda (867 –931) the 59th emperor of Japan, and Cathy Cook.

The Whooping Crane has been on the endangered species list since 1967, and is the subject of a population recovery program that includes migration training. The Sandhill Crane has been the subject of the most successful recovery program to date, bringing the species’ numbers back from the brink of extinction.
Cranes in Motion is the culmination of Cook’s extensive research from 2013 to 2016. While in the field, she and collaborator Paul Dickinson braved freezing temperatures to document thousands of migrating cranes at their refueling stops in Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Maryland, capturing their calls, mating dances, migration patterns, nesting, and other activities. Ultimately, Cook aspired to create an experience that will help connect humans to cranes at a time when their wetland and grassland homes are threatened and their environment compromised, opening the way to a greater understanding and empathy for the complex ecological issues surrounding this ancient species. Drawing on her decades of experience directing and producing films, Cook approached this project with the same directorial oversight as a filmmaker. She collaborated with numerous artists and organizations whose work has enriched the Cranes in Motion project.

Additional Cranes in Motion elements (next page)
·  Extreme Close-Ups, Archival inkjet photographs of cranes textures and feather pattern.
·  Specimens, Archival inkjet photos - extreme close-ups of the crane skeleton.
·  Cranes in Poetry - a collection of cranes in poetry.

"Mimicking Whooper" documentation

"Mimicking Whooper" (media image 1) (2016, Kinect 2, Unity 3D game engine, Maya, computer, sound, color, variable size) The cranes jump, walk, run, call and fly. "Mimicking Whooper" uses state of the art gaming software to provide an opportunity to virtually interact with Whooping Cranes – to figuratively dance their dance. Direct interaction with Cranes is a rare experience reserved for those in wildlife management and Crane conservation programs. However – when observing them in person I have a strong desire to mimic their movements and communicate with them. That desire inspired me to create Mimicking Whooper. Virtual interaction provides an engaging, fun and personalized glimpse into the magnificent world of Crane behavior. The Crane has approximately 30 communicative gestures and many distinct vocal forms of communication.
BirdlandPress.png

"Mimicking Whooper" is permanently installed at the Patuxent Wildlife Visitors Center in Laurel, MD.
a still frame from "Prehistoric Resurrection"
Prehistoric Resurrection

"Prehistoric Resurrection" (media image 2) (2016, 4:10 min, 3D animation, 2k live-action, single channel, digital audio) Inspired by the idea of ‘resurrection biology’, this animated and live-action short visually connects prehistoric references to crane survival and longevity through the beauty of movement and the tools of technology. A 3-D animated crane skeleton emerges from an actual photo of a 12 million-year-old fossil that then transforms into motion; interacting with present-day Sandhill Cranes and flies away with the flock.
a still frame from Summer Home
Summer Home

(2015), 1.50 minutes, 4k Digital Video, silent. A crane’s perspective of their summer home. Filmed in a crane nesting area in central Wisconsin.
a still documentation of Cranes in Motion

"Prehistoric Resurrection" is projected on the right and the "Extreme Close-Ups" on the left. Solo exhibit, VisArts - Kaplin Gallery, March 2016.
Making of Cranes in Motion

(2016. 4:40 minutes, DV) - media image 4
Cranes Respond To The Presence Of Coyotes

"Cranes Respond to the Presence of Coyotes" 5:22 Recorded 27 March, 2014 at Rowe Audubon Sanctuary, Kearney NE.
Early Morning Crane Conversation & Interstate 80

"Early Morning Crane Conversations & Interstate 80," 10:31 Recorded 27 March, 2014 at Rowe Audubon Sanctuary, Kearney, NE.

The "Cranes in Motion" project - Photos and Poetry

Extreme Close-Ups (2015, color archival Inkjet prints, variable dimensions)
Through the lens, these photographs enable the viewer to meet the cranes eye to eye, and ponder the magnificent details of the evolution’s handiwork. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland permitted me to photograph during the yearly physical exams of their captive Whooping cranes and Sandhill cranes.

Specimens (2015, color, archival inkjet prints, variable dimensions)
A fragmented view of the crane skeleton. After we animated the crane skeleton for Prehistoric Resurrection and Mimicking Whooper, I then studied and photographed the individual bones with a macro lens to expose the trachea and other unique crane features.

Let's Dance

40 7/8″ x 31 5/8″ Archival Inkjet Print.
Sandhill Deco

40 7/8″ x 31 5/8“ Archival Inkjet Print.
Taking Flight

40 7/8″ x 31 5/8“ Archival Inkjet Print.
Crane Eye

44″x 63 3/8″ Archival Inkjet Print.
Sternum Coiled Trachea

30 1/4″ x 24″ Archival Inkjet Print.
Skull

41 3/8″ x 24″ Archival Inkjet Print.
Cheese

30 1/4″ x 24″ Archival Inkjet Print.
Crane Poetry

Archival Inkjet Print.
Cedar Lake Poem

I wrote this poem on a day when I was appreciating the cranes and our immediate shared environment on a small lake in Wisconsin. (Note: there is a typo in this photo which was corrected for the exhibition.)
Cranes in Motion - Solo Exhibition at VisArts Rockville, MD

IMMORTAL CUPBOARD: In Search of Lorine Niedecker (DVD)

Living for years in the solitude of rural Wisconsin, poet and experimental writer Lorine Niedecker (1903-1970), chose what many might see as a lonely path. But out of her very deliberate and austere lifestyle came a poetics of observation so acute that some literary critics have described her as the 20th century’s Emily Dickinson. Taking cues from Niedecker’s work and the Wisconsin heritage they share, experimental filmmaker Cathy Cook combines original live-action footage, animation, archival images and the poet’s only audio interview to unfurl the poet’s psychological and physical landscape. Through a repetition of images, text and sounds that mirror Niedecker’s own processes and forms, Cook gives new voice and visibility to the extraordinary works of this very private poet. Niedecker’s ruminations on nature, history, ecology, gender, domesticity, work, culture, family and social politics find new life in the sensitive cinematic interpretations of fellow artist, Cathy Cook, whose own critical and original aesthetics constitute a broad and refreshing challenge to the conventions of both documentary film and the cine-biography. Niedecker and Cook meet up on a path not taken and IMMORTAL CUPBOARD is Cook’s report back from way down that path.

PRESS:
2009 - "Best of Baltimore 2009", City Paper
"A little known 20th century Wisconsin poet gets a stunning tribute from local
filmmaker Cathy Cook in Immortal Cupboard" - Bret McCabe, City Paper, 2/14

2009 - “Poetry In Motion – Cathy Cook Frames Her Obsession With Poet Lorine
Niedecker Onscreen”, by Bret McCabe, Baltimore City Paper. November.

2010 - “Lorine Who Are YOU??”, Small Press Traffic, San Francisco, CA, April.
- Immortal Cupboard Review - "On Big Screens and Small," Filmmakers Enhance
National Poetry Month, by Poets & Writers Staff, January.

2011 - “Immortal Cupboard”, Daily Jefferson County Union, Fort Atkinson, WI, October

SCREENINGS & AWARDS (selected)
Jury Award – 2009 Wisconsin Film Festival
Award Finalist – 2010 Beloit Int’l Film Festival
“Director’s Cut” – Wisconsin Public Television (WPT)
UC Berkeley, San Francisco, CA
Fall for the Book Conference, George Mason University
Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
Bowery Poetry Club, NY, NY
Anthology Film Archives, NY, NY
ATA Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Lawrence University, Appleton, WI.
NYSCA Production Grant, NY

CREDITS
Poetry, Letters & Quotes: Lorine Faith Niedecker (May 12th, 1903 - Dec. 31st, 1970)
Director, Editor & Cinematographer: Cathy Cook
Nature Recordings & Audio Collage: Paul Dickinson
Someday Song & Music: Jen Benka & Bill Dempsey
Contributing Composers & Musicians: Tom Goldstein, Patrick Hardish & Christian Woolf
Visual Collaborators & Contributors: J. Shimon & J. Lindemann
Assistant Editorial Director: Stefanie Koseff

DISTRIBUTION
http://cccook.wordpress.com/
cathyccook.com

a still frame from Immortal Cupboard

"A little known 20th century Wisconsin poet gets a stunning tribute from local filmmaker Cathy Cook in "Immortal Cupboard" - Bret McCabe - City Paper, 2/4/2009
a still frame from Immortal Cupboard: In Search of Lorine Niedecker

Best of Baltimore 2009, City Paper - Immortal Cupboard, (2003 – 2009, 73 min, 16mm to DV)
a still frame from Immortal Cupboard

This poem along with Niedecker's other 'crane poems' impelled me to create the "Cranes in Motion" project.
a still frame from Immortal Cupboard
a still frame from Immortal Cupboard
a still frame from Immortal Cupboard
a still frame from Immortal Cupboard
a still frame from Immortal Cupboard
a still frame from Immortal Cupboard
IMMORTAL CUPBOARD: In Search of Lorine Niedecker (feature)

Beyond Voluntary Control & 4 additional short films. (DVD)

Beyond Voluntary Control conveys the experience of psychological and physical confinement. Through a surreal montage of haunting images from diverse sources, a sense of the obsessions, phobias, and diseases that constrict personal freedom is tellingly communicated. A soundtrack with poems by Emily Dickinson and Sharon Olds escorts the visual, and an interview with the filmmaker’s mother poignantly underscores the latter’s struggle with Parkinson’s disease. Dancer David Figueroa contributes his original and evocative movements to the mix.
- lock yourself in, let yourself go -

SCREENINGS & AWARDS (selected)

2000 – MADCAT Int’l Film Festival & Tour
30th Anniversary Women Make Movies, MOMA
39th Ann Arbor F/V Festival, BEST EDITING AWARD, 2001
Honorable Mention, 2001 Black Maria Film & Video Festival
THAW Film Festival, Iowa City, Iowa.

PRESS:
"Filmmaker Cook explores involuntary movement in people", by Michelle Kenner, Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel. March 24, 2000
"On View" by Jason Guerrasio, The Independent Magazine, 2002.
Bret McCabe, “Language Arts: Learning to Read Visual Grammar Again and Again.” City Paper, Baltimore, MD. January 17, 2007, Arts & Entertainment. (Review & interview)
Chris Kaltenbach, “‘Solo Cinema’: spotlights local directors.” The Baltimore Sun, January 30. “‘Solo Cinema’: Cabin Field (Kissel 2006) and films by Cathy Cook and Fred Worden,”
BaltimoreFunGuide.com, January 31. (descriptive listing)

CREDITS
Producer/ Director & Editor: Cathy Cook
Original Movement and Dance: David Figueroa
Sound Design: Paul Dickinson
Assistant to Director: Stefanie Koseff

DISTRIBUTION
Women Make Movies
www.cathyccook.com

Both Towers Have Fallen (2001, 2 min. or continuous loop, animated photos & video) -
When living in Brooklyn, New York I could see two gas storage towers at one end of my street and at the other end, the World Trade Center towers. In 2001 the gas towers were demolished by the gas company. On September 9th, 2001, I was paralyzed as I stared out my window. I eventually took a sequence of photos over 2 days which resulted in this short video.

Screenings:
Part of Underground Zero DVD & national tour.
Berkeley Fine Arts Cinema, Berkeley, CA
ATA Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Additional Short Films:

A Fish Out of Water
Ahhh... Asphalt!
Fire

Beyond Voluntary Control DVD cover

The experimental award-winning film "Beyond Voluntary Control" conveys the experience of psychological and physical confinement. Through a surreal montage of haunting images from diverse sources, a sense of the obsessions, phobias, and diseases that constrict personal freedom is tellingly communicated. A soundtrack with poems by Emily Dickinson and Sharon Olds escorts the visual, and an interview with the filmmaker’s mother poignantly underscores the latter’s struggle with Parkinson’s disease. Dancer David Figueroa contributes his original and evocative movements to the mix. - lock yourself in, let yourself go -
Beyond Voluntary Control

SCREENINGS & AWARDS (selected) 2000 – MADCAT Int’l Film Festival & Tour 30th Anniversary Women Make Movies, MOMA 39th Ann Arbor F/V Festival, BEST EDITING AWARD, 2001 Honorable Mention, 2001 Black Maria Film & Video Festival THAW Film Festival, Iowa City, Iowa. CREDITS Producer/ Director & Editor: Cathy Cook Original Movement and Dance: David Figueroa Sound Design: Paul Dickinson Assistant to Director: Stefanie Koseff DISTRIBUTION Women Make Movies www.CathyCCook.com
a still frame from Beyond Voluntary Control

PRESS: "Filmmaker Cook explores involuntary movement in people", by Michelle Kenner, Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel. March 24, 2000 "On View" by Jason Guerrasio, The Independent Magazine, 2002.
a still frame from Beyond Voluntary Control
a still frame from Beyond Voluntary Control

Original Movement and Dance: David Figueroa
a still frame from Beyond Voluntary Control

Original Movement and Dance: David Figueroa
a still frame from Beyond Voluntary Control

Original Movement and Dance: David Figueroa
a still frame from Beyond Voluntary Control

Above photo: Cook is interviewing her Mother, Lila, who was in the late stages of Parkinson's Disease. They are communicating with a letter chart and discussing her life with the disease. Lila could no longer speak but could make sounds.
a still from Both Towers Have Fallen

(2001, 2 min. or continuous loop, animated photos & video) - 2nd media image. When living in Brooklyn, New York I could see two gas storage towers at one end of my street and at the other end, the World Trade Center towers. In 2001 the gas towers were demolished by the gas company. On September 9th, 2001, I was paralyzed as I stared out my window. I eventually took a sequence of photos over 2 days which resulted in this short video. SCREENINGS: Included in "Underground Zero" DVD & national tour. Berkeley Fine Arts Cinema, Berkeley, CA ATA Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Both Towers Have Fallen

(2001, 2 min. or continuous loop, animated photos & video) - When living in Brooklyn, New York I could see two gas storage towers at one end of my street and at the other end, the World Trade Center towers. In 2001 the gas towers were demolished by the gas company. On September 9th, 2001, I was paralyzed as I stared out my window. I eventually took a sequence of photos over 2 days which resulted in this short video. SCREENINGS: Part of "Underground Zero" DVD & national tour. Berkeley Fine Arts Cinema, Berkeley, CA ATA Gallery, San Francisco, CA

The Match That Started My Fire & Other Gurly Shorts (DVD)

This unconventional comedy explores women’s sexuality through candid stories of sexual discoveries, fantasies and pleasures. Visually stunning, yet unnerving, the film is a visual montage of found industrial films and original footage of swirling skirts, monumental machinery, ocean life, and befuddled reaction shots. The phone rings and the girl-talk begins: secrets emerge and confessions build as the audience is taken on an adventure of sensual humor.

“The Match.... is a joyous hymn to the female orgasm" - Adrian Martin, 1992 Melbourne Film Fest.

SCREENINGS & AWARDS (selected)

Best of Festival Award – 1992 Ann Arbor Film Festival
Juror’s Award – 1991 Black Maria Film/Video Festival & Tour
1st Place (Experimental) – Baltimore Intn'l Film Festival
Honorable Mention - 16th Atlanta Film Festival, GA
39th Annual Flaherty Film Seminar, Wells College, NY
Pacific Film Archives of Berkeley, CA
IMPAKT 1997, Film/Video Festival, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Seattle Int’l Women’s Film Festival, Seattle, WA

PS. 122, “Marriage, Sex & Patriarchy”, New York, NY
IMPAKT 1997, Film/Video Festival, Utrecht, The Netherlands
National Film Board of Canada
Harvard University, MA
Melbourne Int’l Film Festival, Australia
Film in the Cities Production Grant, St. Paul, MN

CREDITS:

Director, Editor & Cinematography: Cathy Cook
Music/Audio Collage: Paul Dickinson
Funding: Film in the Cities Production Grant, (Jerome Foundation)

DISTRIBUTION:
Women Make Movies
NY Filmmakers Co-op

PRESS 1992 - 1993:
L. A. Weekly, “Love /Loss/Lust: A Valentine Sampler.”
VISIONS Magazine, “Women Under the Influence.”
Bay Area Weekly, SF., CA, “Lighting Female Fires.”
Barbara Shulgasser, “Erotic Film Fest: the joy of women’s sex.” San Francisco Examiner.
Alfrieda Abbe, “Women’s tales make ‘Match’.” Milwaukee Sentinel.
1992 Jimmy von Milwaukee, “Voyeurism 101,” The Shepard Express. (The Match...)
The Michigan Daily, Ann Arbor Film Festival, (The Match...)
David Zurawik, “TV’s innovators gather at Omni to trade ideas.” The Baltimore Sun.
James Auer, “Cook’s look at self and life is witty, satirical, daring.” The Milwaukee Journal
Ted Mahar, “Trio of women’s films explore sexual awakenings.” The Oregonian.

Ass Dance (1999, video, 40 sec.) - last media image
The title says it all. This found footage 'a go-go' is an outcome of viewing an Elvis marathon screening.
1995 - The 4th Short Attention Span Festival, Victoria Theatre, San Francisco, CA., September 30.

Other Gurly Shorts:
June Brides - Directors: Cathy Cook and Claudia Looze (1987, 10:00, 16mm, Color)
Mother Nature - (1996, 5:00, 16mm)
Flight Cancelled-Squirrel (2002, 2:20, Video)
Bust-UP - (1989, 7:00, 16mm, B & W)
Girl Watcher - (1988), 1:00, Video)

Still frame from The Match That Started My Fire

(1992, 16mm film, 20 minutes, sound, Live-action)
The Match That Started My Fire DVD cover
Still frame from The Match That Started My Fire
Still frame from The Match That Started My Fire
Still frame from The Match That Started My Fire
Still frame from The Match That Started My Fire
a still frame from The Match That Started My Fire
a still frame from The Match That Started My Fire

George Kuchar makes a surprise visit as a delivery man.
a still frame from The Match That Started My Fire
A still frame from the video, Ass Dance.

Ass Dance (1999, Video, 40 sec.) The title says it all. This found footage 'a go-go' is an outcome of viewing an Elvis marathon screening.

Cook's Book of Poetry Films

A collection of 11 Film Poems on one compilation DVD - Films on this page:
A Deed Without a Name - (1993, 16mm to video, 2 min Animation)
Say What?! - (1994, 16mm to video, 3 min. Cameraless Animation)
tar guys - (2006, 5 min, S-8 film to DV) Poetry: Cathy Cook
Emily and Liberace # 1763 - (1:45 min, 16mm film transferred to DV) poetry: Emily Dickinson

Additional Film Poems:
Timeline - (2005, 2 minutes, 16mm) Poetry: Cathy Cook
Fire - (2:30 minutes, 16mm ) About the fear and obsession with fire. Poetry: Cathy Cook
#536 - ( 2:45 minutes, 16mm) Poetry: Emily Dickinson #536
ball - (2004, S-8 to DV) about a dog and her ball.
Inside Underneath - (2005, film/DV, 2 min) Poetry: Jen Benka
Flight Cancelled - (2002, video, 2 min) A video poem/performance starring Sprocket the dog
26+ (1983, 6 min, 16mm Cameraless Animation)

Poems By:
Jen Benka, Emily Dickinson, Cathy Cook & Shakespeare.
Cook - Director / Animator / Writer / Producer / Editor

Cook's Book of Poetry Films DVD cover
A still frame from the film Fire.

(2000, 1:17 min. animated photos and Live-action) A poetry film about the fear and obsession with fire.
A still frame from A Deed Without A Name

PRESS 1995 & 1996: San Francisco Examiner, “The Living Room Festival” on KQED / Channel 9. (1996) The San Francisco Bay Guardian, “Independents Days”, KQED “Living Room Festival” Bay Area Reporter, Arts & Entertainment, KQED “Living Room Festival” Cine(E) – Poetry Scribe, May. “Cin(E) – Poetry Distribution!,” National Poetry Assoc. SCREENINGS & BROADCASTS: KQED/ Channel 9, “The Living Room Festival” Marin Independent Journal, “Independent Days” KQED Series, August 6. The San Francisco Bay Guardian, “Independents Days”, KQED “Living Room Festival” Bay Area Reporter, Arts & Entertainment, KQED “Living Room Festival” Cine(E) – Poetry Scribe, May. “Cin(E) – Poetry Distribution!,” National Poetry Assoc.
A still frame from A Deed Without a Name
A still frame from the film Say What?!

(1994, 3min, 16mm to video) | Cameraless Animation. - Letters of the alphabet come alive and celebrate their independence from the conventional word. Film leader was run through various typewriters to make a direct impression on 16 mm film.
A still frame from the film 26+.

1983, 6 minutes,16mm cameraless animation) Images were made by putting film leader through a typewriter and later hand colored.
A still frame from the film poem, tar guys.

(5:00, Super-8 transferred to DV) A smelly, dirty, hardworking job is romanticized through poetry and the lens as we join ‘tar roofers’ on a day at work. Poem by Cathy Cook - Poem voice performance by Jen Benka SCREENINGS (selected) Oct. 2008 - 4th Zebra Poetry Film Festival, tar guys, Berlin, Germany. October 10, (catalog) June 2008 - Rosebud Film Festival, Arlington, VA. (finalists selection) Bowery Poetry Club, NYC, NY.
A still frame from Timeline

(2003, 1:52 min, 16mm film to DV) Poetry: Cathy Cook A poetry film running through a timeline of devastating dates of world war and destruction.
A still frame from the film poem, #1763 Emily & Liberace

(2003, 1:45 min, 16mm film to DV) Poetry: Emily Dickinson A poem by Emily Dickinson addresses the plague of 'fame' that was a burden on both Liberace and herself.
A still frame from the film poem, Emily & Liberace

This short film poem incorporates found live-action 16mm film with manually applied techniques. I imagined Liberace and Emily comparing their burdens of 'fame'.

June Brides, Bust UP & Mother Nature - "1980's gender benders & drama queens"

June Brides (1987, 10:00, 16mm) | Cathy Cook & Claudia Looze
“A wacky and uproarious depiction of dominant institutions is offered in June Brides. . . . A pair of bride filmmakers have wild adventures while careening through the expected wedding activities. The film plays with sets, performances, animation and video to produce a celebration of the silly human dimensions of nuptial occasions, while relentlessly putting aside the official bridal magazine script of events. June Brides holds out the hope of the female transformation or appropriation of the dominant culture.”

—Chuck Kleinhaus, Northwestern University, Dialogue: An Art Journal

SCREENINGS & AWARDS (selected)
Whitney Museum at Equitable, “Dirt & Domesticity,” NY, NY
ATA Gallery, San Francisco, CA
EXPERI Film Festival, Bonn Germany
26th Ann Arbor Film Festival, Ann Arbor, MI
Black Maria Film Festival, West Orange, NJ (Honorable Mention)
Bucks Co. Film Festival & Tour
Experimental Film Festival, Uppsala, Sweden
Baltimore Film Forum, “Keep Your Shorts ON”, Baltimore, MD
Women in the Director’s Chair Festival, Chicago, IL
13th Michigan Womyn’s Film/Video Festival, Walhalla, MI
Cinema Femmes Int’l Women’s Festival, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
San Francisco Art Institute Film Festival, SF, CA
Tel-Aviv Film Festival, Israel
Film In The Cities Production Grant (for June Brides)

PRESS:

2003 Alfrieda Abbe, “What We Didn’t Learn in Health Class. An interview with Cathy Cook.” Angles; Women Working in Film & Video, Vol. 4., # 2 & 3.
1988Chuck Kleinhans, “Looking Askance.” Dialogue: An Art Journal, May/June
1987 Mark Kolter, “June Brides.” Wisconsin Woman magazine, July.
1985 Debra Bremmer, “Moving Pictures.” Milwaukee Magazine.

CREDITS
Directors & Brides: Cathy Cook and Claudia Looze
Music By: Aqua Velveeta & The Ghostly Trio

Bust UP (1989, 7:00, 16mm, B&W)
Tea time will never be the same! This tickling thriller about an afternoon tea features Holly Brown, who spontaneously transforms into several female personas that startle and entertain her surprised guest. Brown’s characters are obsessed with formalities of etiquette, pedigree and hospitality while spoofing sex roles and stereotypes.

“There’s energy galore in Cathy Cook’s successful Bust Up, in which a nervous visitor for tea is subjected to the hair-raising whims of a volatile drag queen (Holly Brown.) One powerful moment should at no cost be divulged.”

–Warren Sonbert, Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco, June, 1990.

“A brief but pungent film…. … starring impersonator Holly Brown. It is a shrewdly shot, sharply cut spoof of sex roles and stereotypes, drawing on the mannerisms of a middle-aged Bette Davis to convey long-suppressed feelings of rage and aggression.”

–James Auer, Milwaukee Journal, Art Critic, August, 1989.

SCREENINGS & AWARDS (selected)
USA Channel, “Night Flight,” 1991
SBS -TV Australia, “Eat Carpet,” 1993
London Gay/Lesbian Film Fest., Ntln. Film Theatre, UK, (16 City Tour)
29th Ann Arbor Film Festival, Ann Arbor, MI
PS1 Contemporary Art Center, “Dive-In Movies”,Queens, NY 2000
Madison Art Center, ‘Wisconsin Triennial’, Madison, WI
Chicago Lesbian & Gay Int’l Film Festival, Chicago, IL
Walkers Point Art Center, Milwaukee, WI
P.S. 122, “Milly’s Orchid Show,” New York, NY
Honorable Mention- EXPO Film Festival, The New School, NY, NY, 1989
La Cage Club, Milwaukee, WI
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

PRESS:
1990 The Milwaukee Journal, “Madison’s Wisconsin Triennial...” (Bust-Up)
1989Jerome Schultz, “Bust-Up.” Art Muscle.
1989 Moe Meyer, “The Holly Brown Show.” The New Art Examiner. (Bust-Up)

CREDITS
Direction & Editing: Cathy Cook
Starring: Holly Brown
Assistant to Director: Jamie Patten
Sync-Camera: Jamie Patten & Julian Marynczak
Additional Camera & Effects: Cathy Cook
Music by: John Lees

Mother Nature (1996, 5min, 16mm) | Live-action / found footage / performance
A comical outlook on who TRULY makes the world go around.

SCREENINGS & AWARDS (selected)
PS.1 Contemporary Art Center, “Dive-In Movies”, Queens, NY
4th Prize- Smoky Mtn./Nantahala Media Festival, Nashville, TN
Rotunda Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
The Thaw Film Festival, Iowa City, IA, 1998
2nd Annual Outdoor Film Festival, Milwaukee, WI,1997
Momenta Art Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Pratt Art Institute, Brooklyn, NY

PRESS:
1999 Rob Taube, “The Art of the Laugh”, RE: Zone of Risibility. The Brooklyn Skyline. (Bust-Up and Mother Nature)
1999 Brooklyn Daily News, “Artists Show Humorous Sides”, RE: Zone of Risibility.
Also: Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Carrol Gardens COURIER.

CREDITS
Performance & Director: Cathy Cook
Camera & Crew: Jamie Patten, Martin Hallinger & Cook
Voice Overs: John Kishline & Jane Kramer
Audio Recording: Paul Dickinson
Shot on Location near Manawa, WI.

June Brides
a still frame from June Brides
a still frame from June Brides
a still frame from June Brides
Bust-UP

Bust UP (1989, 7:00, 16mm, B&W) Tea time will never be the same! This tickling thriller about an afternoon tea features Holly Brown, who spontaneously transforms into several female personas that startle and entertain her surprised guest. Brown’s characters are obsessed with formalities of etiquette, pedigree and hospitality while spoofing sex roles and stereotypes. “There’s energy galore in Cathy Cook’s successful Bust Up, in which a nervous visitor for tea is subjected to the hair-raising whims of a volatile drag queen (Holly Brown.) One powerful moment should at no cost be divulged.” –Warren Sonbert, Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco, June, 1990. “A brief but pungent film…. … starring impersonator Holly Brown.
a still frame from Bust-UP
a still frame from Bust-UP
a still frame from Bust-UP
Mother Nature

(1996, 5min, 16mm) | Live-action / found footage / performance) A comical outlook on who TRULY makes the world go around. SCREENINGS & AWARDS (selected) PS.1 Contemporary Art Center, “Dive-In Movies”, Queens, NY 4th Prize- Smoky Mtn./Nantahala Media Festival, Nashville, TN Rotunda Gallery, Brooklyn, NY The Thaw Film Festival, Iowa City, IA, 1998 2nd Annual Outdoor Film Festival, Milwaukee, WI,1997 Momenta Art Gallery, Brooklyn, NY Pratt Art Institute, Brooklyn, NY CREDITS Performance & Director: Cathy Cook Camera & Crew: Jamie Patten, Martin Hallinger & Cook Voice Overs: John Kishline & Jane Kramer Audio Recording: Paul Dickinson Shot on Location near Manawa, WI.
a still frame from Mother Nature

Entrails & Leftovers - Photo Series

My exhibition, "Entrails & Leftovers", reflects my intrigue with nature’s elegant beauty and the changes that evolve within ecosystems where humans and animals clash and co-exist. From August 2011 through summer 2012, I lived alone on a small lake in North Central Wisconsin. This rural environment is primarily dedicated to farming, recreation and hunting, but also designated as wetlands and the home to abundant wildlife. In the span of this year, I spontaneously observed and documented human and animal interaction. On daily dog walks, I was simultaneously fascinated and disgusted by butchered farm chickens, hidden animal carcasses and deer innards left by hunters. The decaying of a freshly killed deer for me became a still life evolving over seasons.

This lake area became my Walden Pond.

Still Life Winter #1

Archival pigment inkjet print, 36”x 44”, 2013
Still Life Winter #2

Archival pigment inkjet print, 24”x 33”, 2013
VisArts-Common Ground Gallery
Still Life Fall & Spring #1

Archival pigment inkjet print, 33”x 50”, 2013
Winter Quadrant #1

Archival pigment inkjet print, 33”x 44”, 2013
Spring Quadrant #1

Archival pigment inkjet print, 33”x 44”, 2013
Innards with Leaves

Archival pigment inkjet print, 23”x 32”, 2013
Innards with Barbed Wire

Archival pigment inkjet print, 23”x 32”, 2013
Still Life Summer #1

Archival pigment inkjet print, 24”x 32”, 2013
Still Life Spring #1

Archival pigment inkjet print, 24”x 32”, 2013

Production Design & Art Direction for films and commercials (1990 to 2017)

Besides creating and executing Production Design for my own films, I have worked as
a Production Designer for indie films, commercials and theater in New York and Baltimore.
Over the years I have had the privilege to work as a Production Designer or Art Director for the following selected directors and clients: Yvonne Rainer, Su Friedrich, Barbara Hammer, Lynne Sachs, Dina Fiasconaro, Junkyard Wars, the Learning Channel and CBS. This creative job allows me to collaborate with other talented filmmakers to bring alive images and environments that are alluded to in the script.

Queen of Meatloaf production still

This set was designed to work cinematically with both Color and Black & White. The kitchen through the doorway is a large photograph 8' x 12'.
Queen of Meatloaf production still
Queen of Meatloaf production still (detail of kitchen photo)

This is an unlit image of the large-scale kitchen photograph.
Junkyard Wars production still

Production Designer for "Junkyard Wars" ID and bumpers. After collecting junk from around NYC for 2 weeks I then created this set in a pristine studio in one day.
MURDER and murder production still - Directed by Yvonne Rainer

This kitchen set was built within a warehouse in Chelsea, NYC. This set was to replicate an old lower East Side NYC apartment for one of the 2 main characters.
MURDER and murder production still - Directed by Yvonne Rainer
Flesh & Blade production still detail Directed by Hurbis-Cherrier

This science project was designed and made for the 'Mad Scientist', the 19th-century character in "Flesh & Blade."
Dillinger production still of the bedroom set.
The Opportunists production still

We created this Police Station set in an empty prison room, Brooklyn, NY.
Demo Reel, Cathy Cook - Production Design & Art Direction, Late 1990's - 2003