Table1976

“Between 1968 and 1971, Gehr released 8 movies that include some of the richest and radical examples of what has been variously called 'Minimal', 'Reductivist', or 'Structural' filmmaking, But Gehr is also a perfectionist and after a silence of 8 years has only recently began to exhibit the films during the 1970’s.

Table, shot in 1976 is the celluloid equivalent of a cubist Still Life.  The subject is an ordinary kitchen table, a homely clutter of crockery and utensils.  For 15 minutes, Gehr alternates two slightly different fixed points of view, accentuating individual shots through the use of blue and red filters (and sometimes no filter at all). This simple if painstaking procedure transforms the image into a stuttering hypnotic shuffle. Difficult to take in on a single viewing, Table improved with familiarity.  As one learns how to look at it, one’s eyes wander around the frame to savor specific details. Some objects appear simultaneously in 2 positions, others flex their shimmering forms or collide with their neighbors, while a few barely seem to “move” at all.  Because the film was shot over the course of a single day, the light is constantly changing – shadows deepen, and different objects catch the sun.  Throughout, Gehr varies the length of his shots.  When he picks up the pace, the overall movement resembles an animated cartoon cycle of objects chasing each other around the table. And when he shifts into high gear, the screen starts to flash and ripple, barely able to contain the forces that have been released within it.”

                                       J. Hoberman  - The Village Voice, Jan 27 – Feb 2, 1982