Gleanings
“Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin.”
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Brutalist structure on Bancroft Way. When that building was deemed seismically unsound in the 1990s, the PFA moved to a temporary space on campus before landing in its current locale—a metal-clad, sky-lit building on Oxford Street—rejoining its partner institution to create the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). Through each relocation, the PFA has continued to offer a wide variety of film programs, screening everything from French New Wave favorites to works from Senegal, Hungary, and Vietnam. The archive also boasts the largest collection of Japanese films outside of Japan. A fan of directors like Akira Kurosawa (whose film Dodeskaden was the first one screened at the PFA in 1971), Renan wanted the PFA to showcase films from the entire Pacific Rim—a fact that helps explain the archive’s name. During a recent virtual tour of the archive’s library, Jason Sanders, the PFA’s film research associate, pulled up an image of what he calls the “Valley of Knowledge,” a space on BAMPFA’s lower level where, in pre-pandemic times, BAMPFA’S GRAND RE-OPENING visitors could inquire about and view archived materials on monitors in the ON THE LAST DAY OF APRIL, THE BERKELEY ART center of the room. With more than 15,000 films and videos, 150 international film periodical MUSEUM REOPENED ITS DOORS—more than a year after titles, 36,000 film stills, 7,500 posters, and more than 7,600 books on film the- it halted in-person visits due to COVID-19. Among the ory, history, and criticism, the archive can be daunting, to say the least. Sand- exhibitions now on display is Kay Sekimachi: Geometries, ers—who, according to colleagues, has an “encyclopedic knowledge” of the an extensive survey of textile art by renowned fiber artist (and Berkeley local since 1930) Kay Sekimachi. archive’s treasures—enjoys helping folks find what they need. “One of our misA first-generation descendant of Japanese immigrants, sions is to be open to everyone,” he says. “It’s really fun to share [the archive] Sekimachi is known for her innovative construction with people.” techniques and use of materials that celebrate her To make the archive even more accessible, Sanders and his team have been heritage, such as antique Japanese paper and maple busy digitizing and indexing the PFA’s collection. Documents such as publicity leaves. The exhibition features nearly 50 works from materials, program notes, scholarly articles, and letters from filmmakers can throughout her decades-long career, including her early be viewed online through a project called CineFiles. Much of the PFA’s film monofilament sculptures—suspended at the gallery’s center—as well as origamiand audio collection—including interviews with artists inspired pieces and Sekimachi’s like David Lynch, Angela Davis, and Marlon Riggs—is also more recent minimalist weavavailable online at Archive.org. ings. “Honoring a ‘California Sanders’s favorite PFA offering: documentaries by girl’ at her hometown museum Newsreel, an activist film collective established in the late ... is just a gift,” said curator 1960s. Sampling clips from Newsreel pieces on the Black Jenelle Porter. “Curators make Panther Party and People’s Park, Sanders explains that exhibitions for many reasons, footage like this is central to PFA’s mission: to preserve among them to see art in perBerkeley scientist Jennifer Doudna’s son, to gather objects together California’s history through film. response to a question on the podcast in a gallery so that we might While the PFA staff have continued to offer virtual proStereo Chemistry, about her favorite generate knowledge, context, grams during the pandemic, they are keen to welcome viscelebrity encounter. Doudna was on and conversation. Seeing Kay’s itors back to normal. “Of course I’m still so paranoid about the show with fellow Nobel laureate artwork in person after this what ‘normal’ is going to be,” says Sanders. “But it’ll just long year of crises and closures Frances Arnold, Ph.D. ’85, who said, “All be good to open and to see people streaming through the will, I hope, be a kind of balm.” right, I met Jimmy Page. And he’s pretty building and into the theater again.” Kay Sekimachi: Geometries cool. … But I actually got to go to Sidney In a 1971 interview, Renan said of his infant archive: will be available for viewing at Poitier’s 80th birthday party, and that “This whole thing is put together with spit, chewing gum, BAMPFA through October 24, was really spectacular.” [and] good intentions.” Fifty years later, those bonds still 2021. —M.W. hold.
PFA: SAM SILVER/COURTESY OF BAMPFA; BAM: KAY SEKIMACHI, AMIYOSE III, 1965/2004; NYLON MONOFILAMENT, 54 X 14 X 10 IN; THE COLLECTION OF THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA, GIFT OF THE ART GUILD.
Epic appearance: Renan and Japanese film legend Akira Kurosawa at the PFA, July 1978
