Small archive relating to Carolee Schneeman's 'Thames Calling' performance at the Underground Film Festival, National Film Theatre, London, 14th to 20th Sept 1970. [With:] the 'low cost edition' of Schneeman's Parts of a Body House Book.

photographs of a Carolee Schneemann performance

Carolee Schneemann is a pioneering performance artist, filmmaker, and writer on the subjects of feminism, sexuality, and the ecstatic body as a source of knowledge. These photographs by David Crosswaite show her 'Thames Crawling' performance at the 1970 International Underground Film Festival at the National Film Theatre, London.

In a note to David Curtis, co-organiser with Simon Field of the Film Festival, Carolee Schneemann writes:

'Dear Dave: PUBLIC NOTICE –Yugoslavian films lost to us – total black out on communications; at. this late date it must mean "not possible". For the late evening program, 17th, where we hoped to have the Yugoslavian films, I'll present an expanded cinema piece (Kinetic Theater my name for it) juxtaposing "Fuses" and "Viet-Flakes" on buttresses outside, under the NFT Theater; a performance in a foam rubber environment which might engulf performers and spectators – an activation exchange. Call it for now, "Thames Crawling". Realisation with Joan Lifton.'

David Crosswaite is a filmmaker and artist associated with the London Film-Makers' Co-operative (LFMC). He photographed many happenings and performances, and his photographs of 'Thames Crawling' are included in Carolee Schneemann's Parts of a Body House Book (1972) artists' book.

The LFMC was founded in 1966 as a screening club at Better Books on Charing Cross Road, London, and grew into a pioneering organisation that played a crucial role in establishing film as an art form in the UK. In the 1990s, the LFMC merged with London Electronic Arts and became the Lux Centre, which later became Lux.

Some photographs from 'Thames Crawling' feature in Parts of a Body House Book, which Schneemann describes as being 'an accumulation of letters, analyses of films and charts of sexual parameters which incorporate many of the issues that were of great concern in the early 1970s in London. The texts are centered on those aspects of the body that were then considered shameful or taboo or were simply ignored.'

This 'low-cost edition' of Parts of a Body House Book was published by the same press, two months after the 'deluxe edition' of 60 signed and numbered copies (plus 15 artist's proofs).

18 vintage gelatin silver photographs (105 x 164 mm, 4¼ x 6 ½ in); occasional minor marks, lightly curled, one with a caption and credit in black pen on verso.

[With:] International Underground Film Festival 14th to 20th Sept 1970. London, National Film Theatre, 1970.

Poster; (592 x 420 mm, 23¼ x 16½ in); yellow paper printed in red, near-fine.

[and:] National Film Theatre. September 14th – 20th 1970. South Bank, London. International Underground Film Festival – provisional schedule (as of Sept 3rd.)

Programme/schedule; two duplicated leaves of pale blue paper printed on both sides (330 x 203 mm, 13 x 8 in), folded for mailing, toning to edges with light wear at folds, very good.

[and:] Oz News. International Film Festival Supplement. Compiled by Dannae Hughes, Ian Stocks and Albie Thoms. Oz 30 Oct 70. [London], Oz, October 1970.

Poster/insert; (614 x 422 mm, 24¼ x 16½ in); Oz News printed in black-and-white on one side, Mike McInnerney's tribute to Jimi Hendrix in black and blue on the other, machine-folded three times, three shore edge-tears, near-fine.

[and:] SCHNEEMANN, Carolee. Parts of a Body House Book. Cullumpton, Devon, Beau Geste Press, March 1972.