Amanda Slack-Smith, curator, The Western at QAGOMA Australian Cinémathèque
I love pulling on a thread of an idea and seeing where it takes me.
A lover of the moving image and media art Amanda Slack-Smith began working at the Queensland Art Gallery l Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in 2008 as part of the Gallery’s Australian Cinémathèque curatorial team with a focus on film, video and new media. Growing up as a kid in Roma, in outback Queensland, set the scene for Amanda to fall in love with the movie genre of the Western. Therefore when it came to the task of curating a selection of classic Western films for QAGOMA’s current film program, the task was a relatively easy one. As curator for the program, it is Amanda’s task to bring together the best of the western films. Some of Amanda’s favourites include the Thai melodrama Tears of a Black Tiger (2000), the Czech musical parody Lemonade Joe (1964) and Sergio Leone’s classic Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). Not to mention John Hillcoat and Nick Cave’s collaborative efforts in The Proposition (2005) and the Coen Brothers No Country for Old Men (2007). The Weekend Edition took five with Amanda to talk all things Keaton, Tarantino and everything in between.
Brisbane audiences are currently being treated to a selection of films at GOMA’s The Western program, of which you are the curator. What inspired you to explore this genre?
The western is one of the most popular and enduring genres of cinema. Full of stories about lawbreakers, heartbreakers, idealistic drifters and reluctant heroes – and their struggle to find their place in the wild frontier – westerns have captured the wider public imagination from the very beginnings of cinema. Part of the genre’s allure is the way it embraces a mythical vision of the west, rather than the west itself, and celebrates the role of the western hero. With their personal code defined by ideals of honour, sacrifice and freedom, mixed with decisiveness and physical action, they embody who we’d like to be. The Western journeys through the genre from its roots in silent cinema to modern interpretations.
How do you think more recent films stand up to the classics?
The western is an incredibly robust genre. Since the beginning there have been tough cowboys, singing cowboys, and comedic cowboys! As the world has changed the genre has adapted and commented on those changes from McCarthyism (High Noon 1952) to the Vietnam War (The Wild Bunch 1969) and beyond. Contemporary westerns have continued to do the same and bring their own energy. I’m looking forward to Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight (2015) but not so much the proposed remake of The Magnificent Seven (2016). It has very big boots to fill.
Sunday November 15 will see Buster Keaton’s slapstick silent comedy Go West 1925 sound-tracked with live music and sound effects. What can audiences expect from this unique performance?
Fun! Buster Keaton is one of the finest comedians of silent cinema. His humour is wry and relatable. In Go West he plays a newly minted cowboy who must save his best friend ‘Brown Eyes’ the cow from being sold at the markets. The film will be accompanied live by the percussion ensemble Percussimo who are incorporating a playful score featuring the piano, a xylophone and percussion alongside a range of instruments which bring to life a variety of sound effects from the clip-clop of hooves to the whistle of the steam train!
This isn’t the first time you’ve worked with musicians to create new scores for silent films. What inspired this idea?
Live music with silent film offers the audience an opportunity to see these films as they were intended, with live accompaniment. The energy of these performance screenings is amazing as the audience becomes part of the experience. Over the years we have worked with many musicians and a wide range of accompaniments from the sacred through to the experimental. Each time it offers us the opportunity to expand the range of musical voices and perspectives offered to our audiences.
What does your role as associate curator of Australian Cinémathèque at QAGOMA involve?
At the Australian Cinémathèque we work with film in the same way we would any other art medium. This means thinking about how films and filmmakers offer insight into the world we live in and highlight issues that are important to us. Part of the curatorial process is bringing these threads together to explore thematic programs, alongside retrospectives, to showcase the work of influential filmmakers and artists and explore the lines of influence between the moving image and other areas of visual culture.
Tell us a little about your childhood – have you always had a passion for the moving image?
My early years were spent on a property out at Roma, where I was born, so the western is a genre I can relate to! It was a rare treat for the family to head into town to see films at the drive-in, and that shiver of excitement has stayed with me ever since. This fascination continued through art school, where I fell in love with video art, and has extended over the years to other areas such as interactive media.
How did you get into curating?
Curating was an organic process which started in art school and continued from there. I’ve always enjoyed collaborating with artists so naturally gravitated to opportunities that helped facilitate this. I love pulling on a thread of an idea and seeing where it takes me.
You contributed to the fifth, sixth and seventh Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art exhibitions – what are you most looking forward to at the upcoming APT8?
That’s an incredibly tough question. There’s an exciting selection of artist performances and projects in APT8 Live which I’m really looking forward to but, naturally, the cinema programs will also be a highlight for me. There is nothing like seeing films on the big screen and I have a long list I want to see!
What is your idea of complete happiness?
Stretching time to include everything that’s important; family, friends, books, art and film as well as time for contemplation, peace and learning.
Do you have any words of wisdom to share with young local creatives?
I recently read a quote by George Matthew Adams which resonated with me; “There is no such thing as a ‘self-made’ man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success”.
FAVOURITE WEEKEND SPOT TO:
Perk up … A lazy morning wandering the local markets with loved ones.
Relax … A drink with friends at John Mills Himself in Brisbane City, or catching the great live music at Black Bear Lodge in the Valley.
Dine … Julius Pizzeria, South Brisbane, Momo Chicken And Beer, Runcorn or Rice Paper Vietnamese Cuisine in Eight Mile Plains.
Indulge … A Spanish hot chocolate at Chocolateria San Churro, South Bank.
Be inspired … The Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mount Coot-tha or any of the other wonderful outdoor spots in Brisbane.