Lis Rhodes: Dissonance and Disturbance

‘It is dangerous to step out of line – and lethal not to,’ declared Lis Rhodes, British filmmaker and artist, whose work is political, feminist, visually rich and powerfully poetic.

Tramway showcases a cross section of her films from the last four decades. Dresden Dynamo from 1972 is a wonderfully rich archetypal ocular pleasure feast, a psychedelic trip of a film. No camera was used, instead marks were made directly onto the film, and the optical track mechanically reads a sound in response. This is used to make a material connection between seeing and hearing, inducing for the viewer a hypnotic state of visual indulgence.

Rhodes’ work is cerebral but the strong, sensuous, yet compelling nature of the visual counterpoints this beautifully. In a two-screen presentation, films from different periods are brought together to form a diptych with overlayed sound. Collaged images build a slow moving visceral field of disturbing political events and colourscapes. A post-apocalyptic narration spanning two decades binds the two films together. The feminine third person could quite aptly refer to the eternally afflicted but enduring feminine, to mother earth.

Tramway, Glasgow, until Sun 24 Jun