Cast

Jack Smith

Film description

From the winter of 1970 until his eviction 18 months later, Jack Smith staged midnight performances at his duplex loft, the Plaster Foundation of Atlantis. The performance area was a fantastic accumulation of junk, including a simulated lagoon. Although varying wildly from night to night, the show generally involved listening to music, waiting for performers to finish dressing, and watching the slow burial and exhumation of artifacts. The actors typically seemed confused, reading from the script whose pages were passed around the stage and responding to Smith’s onstage direction.

Although the Plaster Foundation served as the studio for No President as was documented in numerous Smith shooting sessions, the recovered videotape, referred to as Midnight at the Plaster Foundation (likely shot in 1971), is the only known record of a performance piece, which may be Gas Station of the Cross Religious Spectacular. The show is unusually disastrous. Even before the image has stabilized, Smith can be heard ordering the crew to restore some toppled debris and angrily yelling instructions to his assistant Abbe Stubenhaus. After a while, the artist takes center stage but this solo performance soon breaks down. Smith waves walks off camera, complaining and muttering, a proud failure.

J. Hoberman / Live Film! Jack Smith!