Watch Breaking The Frame

Breaking The Frame is a thought-provoking documentary from 2012 that explores the life and art of acclaimed and challenging feminist artist Carolee Schneemann. It combines a wealth of archival footage and interviews with Schneemann and those who knew her best, including composer James Tenney, to create a vivid portrait of this singular artist and her influential body of work.

The film is directed by Marielle Nitoslawska, a filmmaker known for her incisive and thoughtful explorations of art, politics, and culture. Breaking The Frame is her attempt to capture the essence of Schneemann's work and ideas, and to demonstrate just how revolutionary and transformative her art was - and continues to be - for contemporary audiences.

Central to the film and to Schneemann's work is the idea of "breaking the frame" - that is, the idea of challenging traditional modes of artistic representation and expression. Schneemann was fiercely committed to pushing the boundaries of what was considered acceptable or "appropriate" in art, particularly when it came to depictions of the female body and sexuality. Through her ground-breaking performances, installations, and films, she sought to collapse the boundaries between art and life, and to create a new kind of art that was both intimately personal and socially engaged.

Breaking The Frame is structured as a kind of visual collage, incorporating elements such as interviews, archival footage, and excerpts from some of Schneemann's most significant works. The film moves back and forth through time, charting Schneemann's development as an artist and her ongoing struggles to be taken seriously in a male-dominated art world. Along the way, we meet a colourful cast of characters, including Schneemann's many creative collaborators and friends, as well as her critics and detractors.

One of the key themes of the film is how Schneemann's work anticipated many of the key ideas and concerns that have come to define contemporary art over the past few decades. For example, Schneemann was one of the first artists to embrace an interdisciplinary approach to art, working across a variety of media such as performance, film, installation, and sculpture. She was also one of the first feminist artists to foreground issues of bodily autonomy and the feminine experience, paving the way for a generation of female artists who have since pushed these themes even further.

However, Breaking The Frame is not only about Schneemann's art, but about her life and experiences as well. We learn about her difficult childhood and her early struggles as an artist, as well as her many romantic entanglements and creative partnerships. Throughout all of this, Schneemann comes across as a fiercely independent and determined figure, someone who was unwilling to compromise her artistic vision for the sake of pleasing others. At the same time, we see her vulnerability and insecurity, particularly when it comes to her reception in the art world.

All of this makes for a rich and multi-layered documentary, one that will appeal to anyone interested in the intersection of art, feminism, and society. Breaking The Frame is a testament to the enduring relevance and impact of Schneemann's legacy, and an inspiring tribute to an artist who refused to be constrained by convention, who saw the world in new and vital ways, and who helped pave the way for a new generation of creative practitioners.