Emily Wardill on Film, Framing, and Political Rhetoric

In a chat from 2019 with Mike Sperlinger for Afterall, artist Emily Wardill discusses two of her films shown at Fortescue Avenue in London: The Diamond (Descartes’ Daughter) and Sea Oak, both from 2008. Sea Oak draws inspiration from interviews at the Rockridge Institute, a forward-thinking group in Berkeley, California, that explores language in politics. This film uniquely presents just sound on a black screen lit by a spotlight. The Diamond reimagines the story of Descartes making an automaton of his late daughter, mixing it with a fresh diamond heist narrative. Wardill points out that both films share a spotlight theme. She deliberately excluded visuals in Sea Oak to emphasize the Institute's ideas, using about 3% audio from previous lectures. She also mentions her upcoming film, Gamekeepers Without Game, a family melodrama performed at the Serpentine Gallery with math rock band Nought.