December 30, 2024
The next time you visit Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), if you pause and look beyond the airfield views, you can catch a glimpse into the local filmmaking scene. In collaboration with Cornish College of the Arts Film Department and the Port of Seattle Public Art Program, the airport is showcasing 10 short films crafted by film students from the Pacific Northwest.
You can view them in an exhibition called “Catch Me: Short Films from the Cornish Film Department,” located next to Checkpoint 1 in Gina Marie Lindsay Hall. The exhibition, running through March 2025, is located outside of security, which means any airport visitor can check it out. Watch a trailer of the exhibition⇢
The goal of the project was to capture a wide range of creative perspectives and approaches to film, said Charles Mudede, Cornish film instructor. This includes animation, actors, dancers, theater, music, and other artistic disciplines.
The Port’s Public Art Program is focused on creating new experiences for travelers, customers, and the community. Partnerships with local art institutions like Cornish is a important way to bring community art to both a local and global audience.
“All of these things keep you connected and keep you sane and remind you that you're a human being. When traveling through an airport, people can be stressed or excited and they want to see interesting things, challenging things,” said Tommy Gregory, Senior Manager and curator for the Port’s Public Art Program. “So public art and collaborating with makers is a no-brainer. I think we have to do it and we have to make sure we are not missing out on opportunities to work with institutions like Cornish that are hungry and have artists ready to produce products. We have a big canvas at SEA, and we need to make sure to not leave those blank in great spots for people to engage in visual culture.”
Gregory said it is important to put things in front of people that will make them think and excite them. “We are showing you real work by real human beings right there in the terminal. And that to me is the most exciting thing, the people that you reach through film and through public art,” he said.
Hear from a few of these filmmakers on what you can expect to see at the exhibition, and what motivates them to make films.
Alexander Naimushin; Film: “Boss is Dead”
Tell me about your film.
I initially made this film for an experimental film class in my third year at Cornish. The title is representative of what I felt based on a dream, but it was shortened and reshaped. Dreams can be long winded, and in dreams you can tell who a person is without them telling you, you just kind of know. I felt that this person was my boss, even though I work freelance so I have no specific boss.
What edits or considerations did you make knowing that your film would be displayed in an airport?
I chose a shorter one of my films knowing it couldn’t be too long. I added captioning knowing that viewers won’t be able to hear sound at the airport, but there isn’t a lot of dialogue anyway. It’s mostly a visually driven film.
What are some common themes that show up in your work and this film in particular?
A lot of my films are surreal and this a good example of that. I’m literally pulling from dreams that don’t make the most sense.
How did you know you wanted to become a filmmaker?
There were two main drives that pushed me into this career. My grandfather was a commercial photographer and that showed me that there’s a career to be made in combination of the creative and corporate world. Also, I took film classes in high school as an elective, and a career in film became something available to me. It was interesting and I was really captivated, and I wanted to continue on the path.
What do you love about the medium of film?
I love the effectiveness with which filmmaking as a medium can push stories into the public conscious. It’s an effective medium for conveying ideas. Between audio and visual elements, the acting, and post design, it’s a melting pot of many different art forms. I love to see when a film comes together.
What are you looking forward to the most with this exhibition at SEA?
It’s great that it’s such a public venue. The idea of having local filmmakers featured in a public space where people from all around world could be walking past and getting a sampling of that, is a good showcase of what the region is capable of. I really appreciate the fact that this was a collaboration between the Port and Cornish, and students had a chance to have their work showcased outside of school.
What do you hope people get out of your film?
My film is a little more of a personal and surreal thing. Anyone’s interpretation is completely valid. As a whole, I hope they are inspired to learn more, visit Seattle art scenes and exhibitions for film in the area, and the burgeoning art scene in general.
Ruby Parrish; Film: “What a Waste Virginia”
Tell me about your film.
It is based on a dream I had about vampires following me at the park. I made it initially for another class this year. It is cool because it is set in an epic location — Volunteer Park. Some people will recognize the location because it’s set outside the water tower.
What edits or considerations did you make knowing that your film would be displayed in an airport?
There was a limit of four to five minutes for the length so I tightened it up a little bit for the exhibit. I actually like it better now that it's a shorter cut. It’s a highly visual film to start out with, and there aren't any lines really, so the audio doesn’t matter so much. There are sounds like rain noises.
What are some common themes that show up in your work and this film in particular?
I replicate my dreams in film a lot. I make a lot of abstract stuff, based on dream world settings. They are often a little scary, and include a menacing creature in a weird dreamscape.
What do you love about the medium of film?
I like it because it's hard. It's really, really hard to make a movie. It’s all encompassing, but it feels right to me. I was a musician first before I transitioned to film. It ties everything together well. It’s the documentation aspect that I like. You can capture a person or place in one moment in time that won’t exist anymore.
How did you know you wanted to become a filmmaker?
I knew pretty early on. My dad made short films as his hobby and I was involved in those at a young age. I was acting in them and looking at the editing process. I also watched a lot of movies when I was a kid. It was something I meshed with pretty early on; it felt right because I was exposed to it at an early age.
What are you looking forward to the most with this exhibition at SEA?
I’ve never had my film shown at an airport. It’s in a cool setting that isn’t my college. I hope people watch it. I enjoy an excuse to come to the airport. It feels good: I like the sterile atmosphere, and this is located right next to the International Arrivals Facility, and more likely to catch a global audience.
What do you hope people get out of your film?
I hope they think it looks cool. I shot it on analog camcorders, and I don’t love how modern cameras and the modern film look is just pale and flat.
Dahyun Kim; Film: “Parentheses”
Tell me about your film.
“Parentheses” was an assignment from a film class where we had to pick a color, and turn that into a theme of a film. I chose red to represent my conflict about masculinity and gender identify, and red is related to femininity.
What are some common themes that show up in your work and this film in particular?
There are two threads of thematic statements: gender identity and femininity in men which is expressed in my dance music videos, and my racial identity — my Korean immigrant background. I talk about my experience as an immigrant, and how it connects with American life.
What do you love about the medium of film?
I use video as a medium to express myself. It’s not so much about telling a fictional story. It’s about expressing my identity and talking about myself. I took a film class in high school that opened myself up to that world, but even before that, in middle school I fell in love with watching films, which carried naturally into the art of filmmaking
What are you looking forward to the most with this exhibition at SEA?
I’m excited about the fact that it is showing at an airport. I’m curious about how people with different backgrounds will interact with it.
What do you hope people get out of your film?
I want people to know that video can be more than a video. In this in video, I incorporate dance and printmaking, and I treat video as one thread of art. I take video as something that mixed media can get added to, which grows the potential of video making.
