Sound artist and professor Judith Shatin’s office has a window with a view of the Rotunda—a great spot to watch University life unfold on the Lawn. In February 2006, she and filmmaker Robert Arnold mounted a camera on Old Cabell Hall to record the view so film audiences could share in Shatin’s coveted perspective. The camera captured almost half a million still images over one year. Meanwhile, Shatin collected sounds in and around the Rotunda to create an aural representation of the historic building.
The result of this collaboration is a sound and video portrait of the Rotunda that juxtaposes its timeless majesty with the ever-changing hum of daily life. The 15-minute film, Rotunda, depicts a single day on the Lawn, unfolding over an entire year, moving from dawn to dusk as the seasons change. Shatin explains that the soundscape of the film ranges “from rich low tones of the opening, to the sounds of the lawnmowers racing up the Lawn, to strong rhythmic sections, as well as fascinating brief excerpts from interviews.”
The film was screened at the U.Va. Art Museum as part of the special exhibition “Thomas Jefferson’s Academical Village: The Creation of an Architectural Masterpiece” as well as at a November’s Jefferson, Palladio & Fine Arts symposium, which brought international experts on Jefferson to Grounds. Judith Shatin is the William R. Kenan Jr. professor at the McIntire Department of Music at the University of Virginia and the director of the Virginia Center for Computer Music. Robert Arnold is the new head of the department of Film and Photography at Montana State University.
In this exclusive excerpt from the film, watch as spring melts into summer and revel in the pomp and circumstance of Final Exercises.
Comments
A whole movie about the lawn and NO STREAKERS!?! CLAS '07
How can I purchase a copy of the movie. Regards, Darden 1984 and Washington and Lee 1977(!)
I would also like to know where I can view or purchase this movie. It looks amazing based on this excerpt. Thanks. CLAS '05, LAW '08.
I--as no doubt many others who have seen this excerpt--would very much like to know how I may purchase this movie as I am most favorably impressed by it! It provides a rather unique view into life on The Lawn!
Sell copies! Great way to close the budget shortfall...
The film, Rotunda, is not currently commercially available. Professor Shatin plans to distribute it on DVD, but doesn’t yet have a release date.
I just want to thank you for your kind comments, and to let you know that we will of course make sure that everyone knows when the film becomes available. It was a joy to work on this project!
Where can I view the entire film?
Why not show it at the Paramount along with other locally produced films! -either apart from or in conjunction with the film festival...?
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