scratch animation: smedley drive

Smedley Drive, 2024. 16mm scratch animation film, home videos, found footage, original audio collage. 5:32.
Wood, cyanotyped organza quilt, projection, 6 x 6 x 8'.

Screened at Roxie Theater (SF) and Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

Smedley Drive is the name of the street my mother grew up on—a rural street in Pennsylvania, in a brick house built by my late grandfather. Earlier this year, I asked my grandmother to draw her house on Smedley Drive by memory. As she drew, she recalled memories of the house, describing its door, trees, and garage. But she kept redrawing the floor and roof, over and over again—omitting details she couldn’t visualize. As my grandmother’s memory fades, I long to learn more about her life—and the culture I’ve always felt disconnected from. In this installation, I’ve reconstructed her memories by hand-splicing 16mm home video footage from a family in Minnesota (purchased on eBay) and personal family home videos. This footage was then physically scratched using a needle to create an animation.