José Val del Omar (1904–1982) was a Spanish artist, filmmaker, and inventor who approached cinema as a multisensory experience.
The Museum of the Moving Image is currently presenting Cinema of Sensations, an exhibition devoted to his life and work.
One of the highlights is Elementary Triptych of Spain, which will screen from Saturday, Sept. 9, until Sunday, Oct. 1.
The three shorts are basically Val del Omar’s audiovisual poems. Each one uses a different natural element for symbolic purpose—water, fire, and earth—and focuses on regions that cross Spain from west to east, offering dreamlike, mystical visions that are rich with religious imagery.
Val del Omar wanted viewers to watch the films in reverse chronology — as they are presented in this program — entering through Galicia, crossing Castilla, and leaving through Granada.
General admission is $15, but students and seniors can attend for $11 and youth (ages three to 17) only pay $9.
Val del Omar Archive Director Piluca Baquero will be on hand to discuss the artist after the first screening in MoMI’s Redstone Theater on Sept. 9 at 1 pm. The encore showings are in MoMI’s Bartos Screening Room on Sept. 15 at 5:30 pm, Sept. 22 at 5:30 pm, Sept. 30 at 12:30 pm, and Oct. 1 at 12:30 pm.
Information on the shorts follows.
Acariño Galaico (De Barro), 1961
This 24-minute portrait of Galicia incorporates clay sculptures alongside images of the region’s landscape, religious objects, and cultural traditions.
Fuego en Castilla, 1960
This 17-minute piece explores polysensorial cinema while developing Val del Omar’s filmatic and sound vocabulary. It received a special mention for lighting at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival.
Aguaespejo Granadino, 1955
Val del Omar sets imagery of Alhambra—its architecture and the water of its canals, fountains, and gardens—to the rhythm of Flamenco-style music in this 21-minute work. Bodies march in symbiosis with the water and landscape; close-ups of faces shimmer as though liquid. The dreamlike visual texture is enhanced with pulsating light from lens filters and stop-motion effects, while sections are tinted green (a color associated with Granada), recalling the city’s Islamic roots.
Curated by Almudena Escobar López, Cinema of Sensations brings Val del Omar’s installations to U.S. audiences for the first time. His work is shown alongside commissioned pieces by contemporary artists Sally Golding, Matt Spendlove, and Tim Cowlishaw; Duo Prismáticas; Esperanza Collado; and Colectivo Los Ingrávidos, who interpret and draw on his work for inspiration.
Cinema of Sensations is presented via a collaboration between the Val del Omar Archive, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, and the Max Estrella Gallery.
MoMI is located at 35-01 36th Ave. in Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
Images: Museum of the Moving Image